Kissed By A Rose
by Nepenthe T. Hedgehog
Summary: Once Shadow and Amy return home, everything seems to be strangely calm... But Shadow has just one more secret to tell his love... What could he possibly tell her that he had not even admitted to Maria before her departure? The story is now complete.
1. Prologue

This is my first new story on this site... ;; Or _is_ it?... Anyways, there really are no warnings for this thing, but I suggest that all Shadamy haters just turn around now. With that being said, here's the prologue to kick things off:

_  
Space... the ARK... the stars... Earth... everything disappeared. Now, there was nothing but me trapped inside of a column of shadows, and it seemed I had stopped falling. There was a light, shining directly upon me. The light then grew, spreading about my body, engulfing me in a wonderful feeling of self accomplishment, rebirth, and content. This relaxing, unique physical sense of being seemed to heal all damage that I had suffered and as I opened my eyes, I saw that the light was thousands of times brighter, surrounded by blue, swirling fog. It was a sight that put me in awe, not only because it was simply a thing of beauty, but because it was approaching me. It came to me in a sense that made it seem very human, and so... non-threatening. I didn't care whether_ _my death was coming, I wanted this light, for the closer it got the more I finally felt at home. Just as it looked as if_ _the light would totally enclose me altogether, it stopped only inches from my face. The breath was taken right from my lungs. I had no control of movement anymore. I froze as I closely watched a thin, shapeless mist take form from the middle of the light and approach me. It floated and danced around me several times, still to my awe, even managing to weave itself gracefully throughout my fur, until it came back to the middle together, taking shape. It was literally an arm of smoke and reached for me, tapping me lightly on the chest that sent a cold run throughout me. It was then I heard someone call my name once in a chilling, ghostly echo. _

_  
"Shadow." _

_  
I heeded to the call and reached out cautiously for the mist, hoping for a warm touch, but before I could reach it, it quickly withdrew back into the light as if it was afraid, just as I felt the most searing pain pass throughout my body_ _in one quick motion and knock me unconscious. _


	2. Windows

It was an unknown amount of time later before Shadow began coming to. The rest he had beforehand felt as if he had been naturally sleeping undisturbed for days, and it felt very rejuvenating. After a stir and a heavy sigh, he opened his eyes a little above a squint, trying hard to overcome the abrupt headache brought on by the bright sunlight shining directly in his bloodshot eyes. After a couple of blinks he fully opened them, quickly receiving the message of the full extent of his injuries. Everything hurt, and it felt as if he had been tortured and beaten for days on end. He stopped writhing with much effort and tried a vain attempt to get up, but pain over swept him, and found that it multiplied by ten if he attempted even the slightest movement so he fell back. He wanted to move so badly so he could deal with his pain better, but he couldn't. He had nothing to hold onto, aside from the dense, dew-strewn vegetation and twigs under his body, and trying to overcome it was beginning to become very stressful to him. He was falling into unconsciousness once more, yet the pain was not letting up at all. Dizziness was conquering his mind, and his vision blurred to the point that he could not see a thing– except for a dark figure the blocked the upper half of his sight. The figure was large and round and seemed innocent enough with its head to the side, and to him in his confused state, it looked like Eggman.

"Doctor?" he whimpered quietly.

Again the figure cocked its head, this time in the opposite direction, and slowly reached out for him. Shadow closed his eyes and that put him back to sleep in a heartbeat. The figure picked him up very carefully, pressure abound on the hedgehog's body until he felt as if he was yanked free from a monster's grasp. He was laid in a small, plastic tarp pulled out from the figure's backpack and carried away in his arms like a little child. He was safe.

"Doc-... tor..."

Whispers were abound in his mind. Quiet whispers that surrounded him and felt directed to him in a discreet manner. The silent, echoing melody wasn't as haunting to him as it was familiar, so he continued listening intently while trying futilely to decipher any particular words or voices. It was only a few minutes until these breeze-like sounds began to amplify. They continued getting steadily louder to the point that the more they penetrated his head, the more it hurt to listen. His world went from a dreamy blue to a solid black and he opened his eyes again to unfamiliar forms surrounding him. This time, there were three. He opened his eyes more, the forms and whispers becoming clearer by the second, and he heard one of them say: "I think he's coming to." His blurry vision fixed and he could see two hedgehogs and a fox staring warmly at him. Before he could let out a word, he instinctively closed his eyes again from another sudden onslaught of a headache.

"Ouch!... My head... Ugh, where am I?"

"Hey, the faker lives!" said Sonic, "And to answer your question, you're on Amy's couch. A friend found you in the forest, tangled in vines and whatnot, so he brought you here."

"No wonder I couldn't move, and who's 'he'?"

Sonic nervously withdrew a bit and looked around to try and find a suitable answer.

"Uh, a close friend. Let's just keep it at that."

Sonic figured that Shadow would be none too thrilled if he found out he had actually been saved by a large, lumbering cat, so he would keep that confidential.

"Hey, was I out for awhile, 'cause I feel that way?"

"Actually, he just left about five minutes ago."

Shadow nodded his head as he began taking in the pieces of information from their short conversation. Suddenly he groaned loudly, his body growing stiff as he clutched firmly into the tarp on which he had been transported.

"Shadow? You okay?"

"Hurts..."

"Don't worry," Amy said, kneeling down beside him and taking his hand, trying to calm him down,

"We'll take care of you. That's why we have him."

Shadow's body finally relaxed after a few deep breaths, and he opened an eye to a smiling, waving fox.

"You're kidding me..."

No, they weren't kidding at all. The little two-tailed fox did indeed help Shadow, but it wasn't his age that irked him the most, but the way he had helped him. It was undoubtedly one of the most painful hours of Shadow's life. True, he could take him messing with his exterior injuries: cuts, bruises, and so forth. He could take a few stings and prods, but it was when Tails tried to set his left leg back in alignment that he lost it. It came as a bit of a warning to him when Amy and Sonic were instructed to hold him still, and the first attempt he instinctively fought, same as the second and the third, until Tails got fed up and put him in a position to where he couldn't fight as much and told to stay there. Throughout his moaning and yelling, the hedgehog couple kept reassuring him he would be all right, but that wasn't the problem! It was a good fifteen minutes before his leg was fully straight, and Shadow was out of breath, even though Tails was the one that did all of the work. Ever since then, Shadow would always hold a grudge against _that fox... _

After that little escapade and a few others, it was decided he would not be taken to a hospital, because not only was he not in the serious condition that he should have been in, but because they felt it would be a bad idea to release information on his survival out in the public at the moment, especially if GUN still had some sort of personal vendetta against the whole project idea. So Tails left some simple instructions to Amy for his care: Keep his leg elevated and keep him as still as possible. Pain could be kept in check with a bottle of medicine she was given. With that, the pair bid them both good-bye. Amy turned back towards Shadow the second the door closed and found him resting a bit more comfortably. He sighed and shifted a bit, about to go back to sleep when he felt a small, light sensation brush across his shoulder a few times. He pushed the annoyance away and turned to the source, strangely surprised to find Amy staring at him. After an quick, yet odd silence, he spoke up in a somewhat annoyed manner.

"Yes? What'd you want with me?"

"I uh, was just wondering... whether you were hungry..."

"A little bit... Uh, some soup would be nice... I guess," he said, turning away.

Without another word, she left him alone and headed into the kitchen. Shadow sighed. Everything was going in a completely opposite direction from what he imagined. He didn't want to be here with this girl, in a hospital, or anywhere on this planet. He wanted that light; the light that made him feel so warm... so safe... so content... and he didn't care whether he had to give up his very life for it, for his life (the way he felt about it) was nothing in comparison to the feeling he experienced when the light began to approach him that day. That feeling seemed to be so addictive... he needed it now... He knew what was there... and who was there... and that's the reason he fell with no struggle. That was the reason he chose to end his life, which had been completed. He had done everything he needed to do; what he was _created_ to do...

So why was he here, in this house, with this girl who was going to shower him with unneeded sympathy?

He was sharply awoken from his thoughts by a loud clattering of pots and pans. Rubbing his head, he whirled around to see her pulling a pot from the cabinets, which looked like a mess inside. He huffed in annoyance, turning back around and closing his eyes, waiting patiently. After filling the pot nearly to the brim with vegetable soup, Amy put it on the fire and went back down in the den, taking a seat on the opposite couch and watching him. He seemed to have this air about him, and she didn't know what it was. It was like... like this hidden person was underneath his hard, shy exterior, and she only caught a glimpse of it once when he ran out of the lonely chamber on ARK, leaving her with the words: "I have to keep my promise to Maria... and you..." So many questions arose from that strange statement, adding on to the millions that still had been left unanswered. What did he mean "promise"? He never promised her a thing. In fact, she was the one who did most of the talking in their conversation. And who was this Maria he mentioned? More importantly... who was _he_?

"Shadow? Um..."

He opened one eye and slowly turned his head to her in a manner that made him seem as if he was on the very brink of death.

"Yes? What now?"

"You made me think of something... on the ARK the other day... And with all of the hype and questioning going on, it made me wonder..."

"Yes?"

"Did you... fall on purpose?"

His eyes widened at that question. What was he supposed to say to her? That he _wanted_ to commit suicide? He wasn't going to do that in the least, so he told a half-lie.

"I ran out of power. That's all," he said, a hint of anger in his voice.

Amy simply narrowed her eyes in suspicion and continued on to say,

"That's not the whole story, is it?"

Now Shadow's patience was beginning to run out, but he didn't want to snap out at her in any way, however, since he did remember at the moment that she was going to take care of him for God knew how long, so he faced her once more and said in the calmest voice he could muster,

"I ran–... out of power."

Amy remained quiet, immediately giving up her quest for any information. She knew that there was something very personal going on with Shadow that he was keeping from everyone and would probably take to his grave one day, and whatever it was it was devastating. She could sense it immediately from the look in his eyes as he continued to stare angrily at her, which truly sent the full meaning in his words towards her. His eyes were very intimidating and seemed to slash right through her. But on closer inspection they seemed more desperate than stone cold... much more sadder... She turned away and smirked to herself, thinking about that secret person inside of him and what that wonderful person was like. Who knows? Maybe Shadow was simply another Sonic before he experienced whatever event that turned him into this quiet little mystery. Soon, Shadow sat up with a little bit of effort and again turned to look at her.

"Uh... Amy?"

"Hm?"

"I think the soup's done."

She too, could smell it in the air. Again, silence reigned throughout the house as their conversation ceased and she went into the kitchen to turn the fire off. Once she did, she retrieved a bowl from out of one of the wall cabinets, poured some soup out of the pot, and gave it to him. Unknown to him, he was downing it quite fast, and it wasn't hard to see why, since he hadn't eaten any real meals in a good fifty years. Amy giggled at him inside her head and a few times out loud. The few times she did, he would stall a bit and quickly look in her direction, a bit of confusion and nervousness in his glances. The hedgehog was never real good with the opposite sex. It had even taken him a bit of time to get used to talking and interacting with Maria comfortably, even though it had been love at first sight, so he tried as hard as he could to seem as normal and casual as possible.

"How's the soup?"

"Hm, not bad," Shadow said, clearing his throat, "It's pretty good."

Amy then focused more and saw a lot of liquid around his mouth and even a bit on his white fur. She couldn't help but laugh, but Shadow frowned at her.

"What's so funny, huh?"

"Oh, nothing..."

Shadow looked at her in confusion for a few seconds. He then looked down at himself, letting out his trademark "Hmph" and wiping the liquid off of his mouth, then off of his fur.

"Hungry, huh?"

He was silent, only raising a brow at her. Without another look or another word, he finished off the soup and set the bowl on a small coffee table right beside the arm of the couch. After that, he laid back down and turned towards the inside of the couch, preparing to go to sleep for a few hours. When Amy had finally worked up the courage she had left to speak to him, she found he had indeed fallen asleep. She watched him closely: his twitching ears, his irregular breathing pattern, his stirring... And yet, even as peaceful as he seemed to be inside of his dreams, there was still something wrong... And Amy knew just what it was.

After a few minutes, the hedgehog was covered in a deep, blue blanket, snuggling further and further inside the soft pillow and warm cover as he continued to drift farther into his beautiful, mystic dreams.


	3. Dreaming in Metaphors

_Thank you all for the reviews. I "apprecianate" it. (I know that's not a word.) Also, this story will really start to have quick updates over the next few weeks, so I'm sure the readers are happy. Anyways, here's the next bit:_

Unlike the few hours he had planned Shadow slept for the entire day, more exhausted from his ordeal than he had thought. It was a nice sleep. He was warm, comfortable, less painful, and he finally had some time to be by himself and think about everything that was happening. He had so many questions, but the one that stuck out the most was why was he still alive? What was there left to do? He had saved the world and more importantly, kept a promise 50 years in the making. He did what he was created to do and he was done, right? Well, he knew that the world would always need saving. But Sonic and his friends had been doing that job for eight years before his release, so the fact that he needed his help right there and then was probably a one-time thing. Now he was beginning to get confused. What was he supposed to do? He went through the information several times in his mind and it didn't make sense. Nothing added up, and it was beginning to frustrate him.

_What do I need to do before I can go? _

But right now, he didn't want to be frustrated. He wanted to rest more, so he dropped the subject completely for the moment, figuring he'd get a sign somewhere down the road.

And if only he knew how soon that sign would arrive...

Shadow flinched from a sharp pain in his leg and opened his eyes to dark surroundings. The moment he had woken up, he wanted to fall back asleep again. His eyes stung, he was still exhausted, and very light-headed. He turned over slowly and carefully, getting a couple of surprises as he looked up and around the room. The first was the sight of Amy asleep on the couch. Apparently she had waited for him to awaken and fallen asleep in the process, since the television was turned down low and the lamp behind his head was now on. The next surprise was that he was covered by a blanket from the waist down and a pillow lay in place of the hard armrest. He sighed tiredly, falling back fast on the pillow. True, it was a nice thing she did and he was grateful, but he did _not_ want her to get attached to him in any way, shape, or form. He was still going to leave the moment he could walk and didn't want to have to deal with long, sorrowful good-byes or anything of the sort. He didn't need her sympathy or want it. He was fine by himself now and always would be.

"I don't want your sympathy," he repeated, turning back over and resuming sleep.

Shadow slept well into the morning. It was half past 11 by the time the hedgehog had finally begun to stir. He took a good stretch, letting out a relieved sigh afterwards and turning over, scratching his white fur tiredly and looking around at nothing in particular. The first thing that hit him was the wonderful smell of hot food: scrambled eggs, pancakes, toast, and a glass of orange juice. He smiled to himself. His warmth and the aroma felt very homely, like ARK once did, even though the smell was making his hunger all the more present. He yawned once, turning towards the other couch, and unsurprisingly Amy was not there. Everything was as it was the night before except for her absence, and with a quick look over towards his right he also saw a plate of food on the table beside the couch. He exhaled a sigh of exasperation and backed away at Amy's act of kindness, and immediately he didn't want the food anymore.

"She could've at least waited," he growled to himself.

"I did wait last night."

Shadow quickly looked up from the plate and at Amy, dressed in a light pink silk robe. For what seemed like minutes, he felt as if he would not be able to breathe again. He tried to speak, but no sound came out at all. His heart was pounding hard, his stomach felt twisted, and he could not take his eyes off of her. He tried hard and suddenly he snapped himself out of his odd trance, turning away to say while clearing his throat in the process,

"I know. I saw you last night."

"You act like that's a bad thing,"she said, pointing out his tone of voice.

"Hm? No, no, uh, no... I was just saying."

"Uh-huh... well, aren't you going to eat?"

Shadow was about to answer what was really on his mind, but withdrew the statement instead.

"Well, I–... I'm not all that... hungry..."

"I don't think a bowl of soup can hold you for an entire day, no matter _how_ _good_ it was," she smiled.

Shadow turned toward her with an annoyed look while she simply giggled.

"Well, you just eat. No matter how much you deny it, I know you have still got to be starving. After all, I don't want you dying while in my care."

He groaned to himself, lowered his head in thought, but of course he gave in to Amy's demands and took the plate off the table, looking back at her in way that seemed as if he had a deep, villainous incentive for her. She leaned against the wall, her arms crossed and her directions clear. So without another word he ate in silence, being careful to do so as slowly as possible. Shortly after that, he noticed Amy had gone back upstairs and put his fork down in thought.

_Well... I _guess_ I'll let her do whatever... it's not like she's doing anything _wrong

He resumed eating, but slowly, his pace got faster and faster.

For the next several days life around Amy's house was rather quiet and peaceful, which seemed to be killing her on the inside. Here was Shadow living with her– a total and complete stranger. She wanted to press a bit farther about what was so devastating to him, but so far she hadn't. Mostly, she had been a afraid of what pressing would make him do. As secretive as he had been with her so far and as stubborn as he could be, continually asking was bound to make him retreat even more inside his mind. There was a possibility that he would spill, but it was a very small one. He was like the old saying, "so near, yet so far." And every time she went in the living room or happened to pass by, she was tempted to just spurt out every inquiry that was on her mind. Sometimes, she figured if she did do that and he continued to be quiet, she wouldn't even care much for hurting him far worse than what he was now in an attempt to gain any amount of information. She could be devilish like that. Strangely enough, out of all of the frustration of no answers and more questions, his stubbornness was very appealing to her, seeing as how it had reminded her of someone similar. Again, he was like Sonic: a pure mystery. As she recalled past experiences, she came to the conclusion that she knew little about him also. He was quiet. He was silent. He had probably experienced a similar loss as Shadow had, even though he was in a better mood about it. And again, that conclusion made her more of a believer that Shadow was simply full of nothing but sorrow and not as dark as the others made him out to be sometimes. With that thought, she figured that he would tell if he ever did want to, and whenever he felt the time was right.

_Shadow... _

The hedgehog grimaced tiredly and mumbled something incoherent.

_Shadow... _

He awoke himself up some more, surprised not only that he was fully recovered, but by the fact that he was stranded in nowhere. Everything around him was black. He stood up and looked around, but found nothing. He tried focusing, but he couldn't even make out his hand in front of his face.

_Shadow... _

He felt his short fur stand on end as a chill ran down his spine, but it was hardly from fear. It was from anxiousness. As he focused clearly on the soprano-like echo, the more he could recognize it. A smile slowly crept across his face as the call came again.

"Maria!"

He turned around to her voice and was faced with a light that hit his eyes like a blow to the chest. He shielded them until they adjusted, and took a firm look at the familiar swirling vortex of blue light and fog. That was it! That was _her_! It's where he wanted to belong... at last! Everything that was on his mind had been abandoned as the hedgehog took off for the light as fast as his legs would carry him, a renewed joy in his heart. Finally, he could belong with Maria. Things could be the way they used to be... the way they were_ supposed_ to be... forever. As long as he had waited, it was really hard to believe that this opportunity had just came up and was welcoming him with open arms. But he felt strange... It was as if everything wasn't _entirely_ complete yet and he could sense this mysterious sensation deep down inside, but at this point all his mind and heart were set on was the light ahead and what was beyond it. And the closer he got, the more it overpowered his doubt. Then everything felt as if it was beginning to slow down more and more, like that all-too familiar dream in which one is running but going nowhere. Unlike the dream, however, Shadowwas surely getting somewhere, and every step he took only heightened his spirits and readiness to finally reunite with his long-lost friend. In the odd sense of passing time, things began to speed up again and Shadow found himself right in front of the light. One more bound and he was home...

He was only inches away when he was stopped dead in his tracks by a painful surge of electricity that hit him from the front and went throughout his body. Soon, a fight to go through the barrier reverted into a fight to simply stay alive. As the energy coursed through his body, it felt as if he was being attacked from multiple sides and it was tearing him apart, inside and out. Slowly, the energy began pushing his body back, and he screamed as loud as he could with the remaining breath in his lungs as it threw him back on the floor. He landed hard on his side, coughing and gasping, overwhelmed with pain from various burns and gashes, and from shock of it all. His lack of understanding of the situation put tears in his eyes. Why would Maria... reject him? Had he done something wrong? If he did, it couldn't have been anything too severe, because this moment had been too important to him... He must have forgotten something crucial, because this made no sense at all to him. He struggled to overcome his pain and turned over on his stomach, making a furious attempt to push himself up.

"Ma-... ri-... a...," he whimpered, collapsing forward a bit, "I-... thought..."

_Shadow, you still have not fulfilled your promise to me. Therefore... you cannot be with me yet. _

"But... I–"

_Shadow, there are still people that are close to your heart that are not content and happy with your accomplishments. True, you did help save the Earth and were willing to give your life for it, and for that I am very grateful._ _But you still have a purpose in the world, and thus, are not ready to travel on to the other side. _

So it was true. That's why he had lived through everything. He hadn't fulfilled his promise yet. But he was ready to leave that wretched planet behind. He was sure of it! He wanted to be with her now, and yearned everything about her: her ocean blue eyes... her silk hair... her clean smell... her angelic voice... her warm touch... and overall, her love. He fell back on the ground, tired of supporting his weight on his arms, and began to cry. He just let himself go this time, sobbing and sighing loudly, and even going as far as to pound his fist into the ground several times to the point that silver cracks became visible. Shining, cold tears steadily streamed down his face, badly stinging the cuts and burns, but that didn't even compare to the reality that he would not be with his friend for some time now. The feeling of uncertainty he had felt previously had finally surfaced itself in his tears and cries, because he knew was not done yet. In his broken heart, however, he felt he_ was_ done with his purpose. He was done with the world, done with its inhabitants... he was_ done._

_Shadow, please do not be sad. _

In his plight, he didn't even hear her. To his unknowing, the mist went forth in a straightforward path down towards him, and like his prior visit it shaped into a hand and lifted his head out of his arms. This time though, another hand came forth, stroking the hedgehog's head and scratching him behind the ears, just as she used to do. His crying was quickly slowed to a few whimpers and sniffles, and he even managed a smile throughout his pain. She then stopped petting him soon enough, and in a sudden fit of extreme pressure inside of his body he was healed once more.

"Hmm?"

_Shadow, I want you to try and stop your grieving for there is no reason to. _

The mist withdrew from him and in the air and he reached out for it, calling her name.

_I will always be with you. In your heart, in your memories, and in your dreams._ _And I may even be closer than that, Shadow... you just have to know where to look._

He stood up, repeating her words over in his mind until he again felt the pressure on his body. The mist had shot inside of him through his chest and lifted him off the ground, rendering his entire body limp as if he had been in a supernatural trance. In a whispered sigh, he exhaled the mist, then closed his eyes and fell back on the floor.

_Wake up... _

Shadow followed her instruction and woke up in a screaming fit. After throwing the covers off, he found himself sitting straight up, back on the living room couch. He was very hot and shaky, his now layered and shining fur lightly damp with sweat. He then felt a pair of hands gently direct his face around to where Amy was sitting behind him.

"You alright, Shadow? You've been quite feverish for a few hours."

"Yeah," he panted, "I'm fine... I'm fine... I just–"

The hedgehog grunted and doubled over in pain, holding onto his bandaged side. Amy helped to support him as he made a painful, strenuous descent back down onto the pillow.

"Just rest for awhile. You've been thrashing about in your dreams and it's taken its toll on your body," she said as she brought the covers back over him.

"I know... ahh... I'm more tired than before..."

"Well like I said, rest for a few hours. You'll feel a lot better."

He closed his eyes and nodded his head in compliance. Once Amy was sure he had drifted off, she unknowingly reached out for him to stroke his damp forehead, but refrained from making contact after snapping herself out of her daydream. She shook her head and looked down at the sleeping hedgehog that no longer appeared to be her other love once more. _Other_ love? Wait a minute. She could not be falling for him. He was everything Sonic wasn't; A total opposite. Besides, how could she get along with someone who resented her even more than Sonic did? Sonic was a good friend (and soon-to-be boyfriend) but Shadow, as interesting as he could be, was just another _person_. She figured her mind crossed that thought simply because the two looked alike and dropped it, retiring for the night.

Shadow opened an eye and looked around the corner, rubbing his stomach which was full of huge butterflies. Again, he was breathless and felt sick, which he noticed had been triggered when Amy touched him. A sudden rush of warm ran through him when she did; a rush very soothing and forgotten. The more he focused on this peculiar, yet relaxing feeling, the more he felt better. As he settled down again, the hedgehog closed his eyes and prepared once more for sleep, a heartfelt smile on his face.


	4. Phone Call

It was safe to say that after his experience last night, Shadow had a wonderful sleep. He dreamt of the usual: the people, conversations, and hopes that he had held dear, and as usual a reoccurring scene in which he was in field. Everything was a mellow blue, except for the large, creamy moon that broke over the surrounding ice-topped mountain ranges, serving as a beacon to all who entered this mystical place. Shadow closed his eyes to embrace the warm, welcoming breezes, as did the grasses that swayed across the surface of the hills like that of the waves that rippled across the pond, and the various willows whose limp branches waved slowly in and out like a silk curtain. This is how Shadow envisioned Heaven. He thought that it was probably a different utopia for different individuals, and this was his and Maria's own paradise: a place that was merciful, tranquil, and providing. That's all he had ever wanted, and he always liked to visit the lost haven when he closed his eyes. Obviously in his world things like pain, war, greed, murder; the things that once made the Earth such an expendable thing to Shadow had no existence here. Therefore, Maria was a normal little girl. She was cured, free of the worries that plagued her when she was alive in her sickly state, and free to do the things she had only dreamed of. The two romped and played, raced each other, and laid down in the grass to talk about their night in their paradise and bask in the supple moonlight. This is how it always happened when Shadow was inside of himself and it simply got better and better with each viewing, and he longed for the day in which he could run about the fields, gaze at the shaded pond, catch the dancing fireflies, and lay in a bed of grass with her...

Shadow's night was indeed peaceful and idyllic, but the early start of his morning was anything but. As he awoke and tried to move about some, he discovered that his back and shoulders were sore all over, a consequence from lying against the thin pillow and solid armrest for nearly two and a half weeks. Being the way he was, he'd found out the hard way that he had no choice but to lay still. On a few occasions in which he was having a rough night and couldn't sleep, he would attempt to stand up, but every try ended up the same: he found it to be impossible. His entire body still ached greatly, and his leg... well, _he_ thought it hadn't gotten any better over time. As much as he wanted to walk (more so run) he had to endure the boredom of healing for a while longer.

"Oh– man... ouch... well, maybe I should have stayed asleep a little bit longer, huh Maria?" he laughed to himself.

He slowly pushed himself up against the arm, his back very stiff, and let an arm hang freely off of the couch. At that moment, Amy came downstairs and around the corner to greet him, and to add to his relief, it was after he had gotten over his pain.

"Morning, Shadow."

"Good morning, Amy," he said with a bit of a smile on his face.

As she began preparing another scintillating breakfast for the both of them, she immediately stopped after she heard his odd reply. She turned the fire off, put the pan down on the counter, and turned to him with a look of pure confusion and surprise. She stood staring at Shadow for a good minute, and the silence seemed to become more and more invading throughout the house. When Shadow didn't hear the common, lively noise of her daily routine he turned to her, scared out of his wits that she was staring at him. To him, she looked as if he had said that he was going to take a knife to her in the dead of night. As he began to feel his heart speed up and a lump form in his throat, he spoke up, praying to God that she would answer back quickly or he would simply faint.

"W– what's wrong?"

"That–... that's the first time you've said 'Good morning' to me... Alright, what's up with you now?" she said, crossing her arms.

"What? Nothing!" he laughed, "I'm... I'm just... in a better mood about... things."

Amy said nothing, only raising her brow in a concerned manner for him.

"I had an interesting dream last night... And it... taught me some things..."

"Really?" she said, walking over to the couch and sitting down, "Well, what kind of things?"

"Mostly... that everything happens for a reason," he sighed, "And I've got to be more accepting of those reasons, even though they may not work out the way I want them to. Because things... things tend to turn around for the better if you are more patient... and willing about certain things in the world–" he paused again and looked down.

Amy was still quiet in all of this, not sure of what to make of this life-changing transaction he had seemingly undergone during the night. But the big question on her mind now was why had he undergone this little change now? But as she thought about his attitude and his words, the less any question she had about him mattered anymore. She was overjoyed that Shadow was now emerging into someone she felt could become a very close friend, and the fact that he had finally confessed a few of his feelings towards her openly made her grin from ear to ear. Shadow looked up back at her, a smirk on his face, turning away sheepishly.

"That's very good to hear, Shadow. I was wondering if you were ever going to become, ya know, somebody a lot more friendlier to be around."

"Well... My mind was simply on some things."

"After that experience, all of our minds were full of things. But things have changed now. It's another time of peace. Better make the most of it before Eggman starts terrorizing us again."

"Hm, yeah, I guess you're right. It's just that I–"

"It's just what?"

He was at a loss of words again. He had no idea why he couldn't help these mind lapses. It seemed that every time his mind was on something new, something fresh, or something completely different and mentally exhausting, his train of thought would always arrive back at the same starting point 50 years ago. He was told to stop worrying by Maria herself and he tried as best he could, but by no means was the hedgehog able to let go. And how could he? How was _anyone_ able to expect him to move on that easily for the tragedy that had befallen him so fast and before his very eyes? In no way did anyone, no matter who they were or what sins they had committed, deserve to be brought down in that manner, especially anyone that had no means of protecting themselves. Shadow looked in the opposite direction, finally realizing where he was at the moment and how much time had gone by since Amy had asked him that question. So he answered: "Uh, I just forgot it..." hoping that that would convince her.

But of course, Amy was never convinced. She had a strange, yet accurate intuition about such things, and could easily see through a person's lies, especially Shadow's. But she didn't want to put him back in the same state that she had had to endure at the moment, so she agreed with him.

"It's funny how some things can slip your mind sometimes."

"Heh, went right out!" he laughed.

After that short, yet sweet conversation ended, Amy got up and went into the kitchen to resume breakfast.

"Anything you want in particular, Shadow?"

"Mmm... well... I really didn't have anything in mind..."

"Don't be afraid to say whatever's on your mind. I have plenty of experience in this field, ya know."

"Well..."

Shadow wasn't one to take advantage of the people that he liked, but this was an opportunity that the hedgehog simply couldn't pass up because he was _hungry_ today. He hadn't eaten much yesterday, simply because it had been one of those hard days, and his mind had been too focused to make him realize that he needed some food in his stomach. But being the modest guy he was, he didn't ask for too much: just seven eggs- three scrambled and four boiled, two hot sausages, a stack of six pancakes drenched in syrup, a couple of pieces of toast overloaded with jelly, and to top it all off- two full glasses of orange juice. And Amy? Well, she was in total shock, to put it lightly. She had no idea he was that hungry, or could even eat that much in such a short amount of time. He was a regular bottomless pit– just like Sonic...

Shadow set his plate down, which was entirely clean as if it had just come out of the dishwasher. He was sleepy again, but he felt good.

"Ooh... man, that was so _good_," he said, sinking down under the covers.

"Well, I can easily see you enjoyed that meal!"

Shadow sighed and rubbed his stomach lazily.

"Man, you have no idea..."

Amy laughed at Shadow silently, who was well under the long-lasting spell of hot, filling food in one's belly, and she started to watch him again for a few minutes. He was an amusing guy, when he wanted to be, or in this case when he acted his normal self. Unknown to Shadow, Amy's new way to pass the time was by watching him, even if he was simply laying there, bored out of his mind and glaring at the TV screen with no interest in what was on it whatsoever. He simply had the uncanny ability to be so interesting, even when he wasn't doing anything interesting at all himself, and she knew what the captivating thing about him was: those eyes. Those beautiful, ruby red eyes... Smooth and gentle, yet stone cold and fiery at the same time... They were so piercing into whatever they had their focus on... and there were so many things to tell from them... His pain... his thoughts... his character... and his intentions... It was the one thing that separated him from Sonic... those unique eyes...

Both of the hedgehogs were awakened when the repetitive rings of the nearby telephone shot through their heads. They turned towards the source of the on-going noise simultaneously, and Amy quickly got off of the couch and snatched it off of the receiver.

"Hello?"

_Amy? Hello. _

"Oh, hi Sonic! How's it been going? You've been gone for awhile."

_Eh, Tails has been using me for these experiments involving the drives... Heh heh, I swear that kid's gone over the top this time! _

"Not surprising... So, do you want to talk to Shadow?"

Shadow threw a look of pure awe her way.

_Heh, main reason I called. Can you put him on? _

I figured that, Amy thought.

"Of course I can. Well, here he is," said Amy, handing the phone to Shadow.

As he put the phone to his ear, he mouthed the words "Who is this?" but he didn't need an answer as the caller's voice went out in the most surprising greeting he had ever gotten.

_Hey-low, Shad-ow! What's up! _

"What the–? Oh, the faker. Yeah, don't think I didn't remember what you called me when I came out of it that day."

_Well, isn't someone a little cranky today? Can't even take a three-week old _joke_. Now that's what I call holding a grudge._ _So... how are you feeling? _

"Better. A _lot_ better. Still sore, though... and _still_ can't walk."

_Well, I pretty much figured that. Heh, I'm sure you won't forget that little treatment option for the rest of your days... _

"Don't know how I got through it... And you better make sure your friend doesn't_ ever_ cross paths with _me_."

_Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm it down. He was only helping you, after all. _

"There's a word called anesthesia. For a "genius", I'm surprised the little prodigy didn't figure that out sooner."

_Ha, ha ha! Oh man... well, the little 'prodigy' didn't have any on him at the moment! _

"I kinda figured that when he put his hands on me."

_Oh, I've been meaning to ask you this!... How's it been living in Amy's house so far?... _

"What? Amy?... What about her?"

_Huh, she's not annoying you? _

"Well... at first... I don't know, uh... She's real nice! Um... ya know, uh..."

_Ah-huh... _

"What? She _is_ nice."

_That's not what I'm talking about... _

Although Shadow couldn't see it, Sonic had the biggest, most devious smile on his smug face.

"Well, what?"

_I think you know what I'm talking about. _

"... No..."

_Dude, it's so obvious! Never thought I'd say this but... you like her! _

"What!"

He looked around the corner to see if Amy had heard, but she had gone back upstairs to fix herself for the day, making herself absent during the middle of the talk when she figured Shadow would want to be alone for a little while.

"No! No... uh, no... No, I don't! She's just a friend..."

_Make that_ girl_friend! Ha, ha, ha! _

"For real! She's just taking care of me... besides... I'm leaving the moment I get better."

_Yeah, to buy her a "beautiful bouquet of flowers". _

"Hey, I mean it. Once I'm better, I'm out of here for good."

_...For good, huh? Does she know that? _

"Uh– Well... not exactly... um..."

_I wonder why... _

"Hey, I'm serious! I don't like her like that."

_Alright, alright, whatever. Just messing around with you. Knowing you, I'd figured you'd be bored to death. Just trying to liven things up. _

"Nice way to liven things up."

_I know, right? Well, I'd torture you longer, but I promised Tails I'd go and meet him at his place at 1. It's... 12:59 now. Plenty of time! _

Shadow rolled his eyes and shook his head.

_See ya!_

The dial tone sounded and Shadow hung up.

"Hmph, the faker doesn't know what he's talking about. I don't like her like that! Not at all..."

Shadow sighed and looked around the corner to make sure she wasn't coming down.

"I _don't_ like her..."

The hedgehog continued to deny Sonic's teasing as anything truthful, but in a sudden epiphany, he looked down with a hard gaze.

"I think I _love_ her..."


	5. If I Could

There was no denying it any longer. Yes, after that phone call, there was no possible way on God's green earth that Shadow could lie to himself or anyone else anymore. He loved her. He lovedAmy Rose. He had fallen in love with her ever since they had been left alone in the house that day, ever since he had laid eyes on her angelic face, and ever since she had said his name and put a hand on his shoulder, he knew that he wanted to be with this girl for the rest of his days. But the hedgehog was having second thoughts about the whole idea, and questioned his nervousness intently. First of all, didn't Amy love Sonic? From past experience with her, he knew that the only thing that was on her mind half of the time was his rival. And if Sonic was the predictable character he was, Shadow knew that he liked the girl too, even if he hadn't admitted it yet, and there was even a possibility that he would admit that love to her one day and Amy would fall into his arms. But if Shadow did, what would happen? He knew that she would probably resent him, not only because he wasn't Sonic, but because of the uncanny similarities the two had shared. If Amy was with him and her love of Sonic was still as strong as it was when she accidentally hugged him on Prison Island a few weeks ago, then that would only lead to even more heartbreak for Shadow, and that was something that he wasn't willing to go through anymore.

Secondly, his obligations were to Maria, right? She was one of the main reasons that he even came into being. Also, she was the only person aboard that entire space station that he could even relate to, someone who he could be open to, and someone who was always willing to be around him, share their thoughts, and all around be a wonderful friend. Maria had also saved him time and time again from a horrifying death, like the past few weeks and last night's dream, where the hedgehog just felt so horrible and like such a failure that he was quite tempted to consider suicide as a means to escape his unbearable pain. But she was there all the time, very calm and very wise. She was there to assure him. She was there to let him know that everything was not as bad as he made it out to be. She was_ his _love. But then... there was Amy. In a way, she had saved him too. She was more than willing to take him in and was very tolerant of his past behavior. She cared for him, she fed him, she talked to him... And over the time they had been together, he had even begun to pick up oddly familiar quirks about her, like the way she would comfort him by scratching his ears and watching over him while he slept, the way her dress would swing as she walked about, and the way she would seemingly play with him even when he was being very serious with her himself. Overall, she was simply this happy person, always bright, always hopeful, with barely a worry on her mind...

That brought him back to his dream, which he believed held all of the answers he was seeking.

_And I may even be closer than that, Shadow... you just have to know where to look._

"I just have to know... where to look..."

That was it. That was his answer.

"_Alright_... alright, okay," he sighed deeply, "I'm gonna tell her today... I have to. If I screw this up, I doubt I'll get a better chance," he gulped nervously.

The thought of her still loving Sonic continued to rob him of his courage. But he kept his mind steady on the good outcome, which would probably come if he could just say those three, very powerful words.

_Okay, don't think about the faker, Shadow. That's not important. What's important is what you say to her... What _do_ I say to her?... Alright, um... "Amy, look. Over the past few weeks we've been together, I've been watching you–... well, not like that! Um, well... ya see... I've noticed how you've been treating me, and well... I kinda, sorta... love you..." Huh, yeah. That'll get you a girl any day!... Smooth. Real smooth, Shadow._

As his ears lowered in helplessness, the confused hedgehog gave a sigh of defeat.

"I'm hopeless."

As he was contemplating and scolding himself over his pathetic rehearsal, he heard a rhythmic set of footsteps continue to get louder as they continued on down the stairs. Once he heard them hit the floor, he waited for Amy to come around the corner so he tell her his thoughts right away (if he could get them together) and once she revealed herself, he was immediately love-struck once again. Amy was wearing a burgundy colored leather jacket, with a matching large-brimmed hat and purse. He didn't know what it was about the simple outfit, but he felt that Amy in it would automatically make someone's jaw drop (as his did)

"Wow, Shadow... I didn't know you liked this outfit _that_ much," she said modestly, turning around a few times to show off the outfit.

"Hmm, wha–..." he shook his head rapidly, "Oh! Um, no... well, I just... I–... ugh, where are you going?"

"Out to the store. After three weeks of feeding two, I figured that buying provisions for one isn't going to cut it anymore until you leave..."

Shadow noticed a bit of sadness in her tone as she barely whispered the last few words, and he figured that that was the perfect time to go on in.

"So, I'll see you in about half an hour. I doubt you need any food, right?"

"Well... Amy? Um..."

"What?... Oh no, you're hungry again!"

"No! No, uh, it's not that... it's–"

_Alright Shadow... just say it! _

"I have to tell you something... I–... well, I... I..."

Amy's curiosity was immediately aroused, and she kept her eyes steady on him at all times. He was never so jumpy with her before. Something was serious...

"Yes... Shadow?"

"I–..."

He looked up at her, quickly catching glimpse of her sparkling, pleading eyes, and was immediately brought under their hypnotizing spell, which rendered and weakened any resistance that the hedgehog had to look away and break free for the moment. Now, he was sure to mess up. Every time he locked onto those beautiful jade emeralds of hers, he could never get a word out. Not one! Although his mind had once again become the unlucky victim of Amy's eyes, he was soon able to realize that he was starting to embarrass himself, and he didn't want to go any farther than that. He needed just a bit more preparation time to tell her, so he closed his eyes and thought of a predicate off the top of his head.

"–really liked those pop-overs from yesterday."

"...What?"

"Yeah! I was wondering..." he sighed, "if you wouldn't... mind picking up just a few... more..."

"Sure... Shadow... I'll see you..." She said, walking away.

He only waved at her, listening to her footsteps as they got farther and farther away from him, and finally, he heard the door open and close. Once assured he was alone, he whirled around, so mad at himself that he didn't know what to do.

"Why didn't I just _say it_! How hard is it to say, 'Amy, I love you'! Ugh..."

He slumped down in the covers, finally calming down and thinking things through. He realized that he indeed, had competition. It was bad enough that he had to deal with the fact that he was equal to Sonic in terms of speed and strength, but just the very thought of losing Amy to him was even worse than if he should ever become paralyzed from the waist down. And that was simply unacceptable. He was determined to tell Amy how he felt about her, by any means necessary. And as he thought more about it, he figured that it probably would have been better to have been told 'no' than to have never told her at all and miss the possible chance to be with her. After all, this was more Amy's choice than his. He closed his eyes and sighed several times, clearing his mind of everything that was plaguing him with doubt. He would just be straight up front with her and he figured that whatever happened, happened. His promise was to make everyone happy, and Amy was definitely part of that group. If he had to leave her forever in order to fulfill that promise...

Then so be it.

Unknown to Shadow, Amy was beginning to have similar doubts and second guesses as well, which had mostly been brought on by the cool, wet weather, the traffic, and the long lines she had encountered in each aisle. What had really been on his mind for those few moments? After the good meal she had cooked for him, she doubt that he would even mention the word food, unless it was a compliment for her. She wanted to know what he was going to say... probably the exact same things that she had wanted to tell _him_. She had developed very strange and intimate feelings for him... and she didn't know why. Maybe it was when she had first realized that Shadow was a much better person than he made himself out to be. Or maybe these feelings had been aroused when she had noticed that she had made a habit out of watching over him during the lonely nights while he rested... or maybe it had happened today, when Shadow had succumbed to his good-natured side and was willing to be open to her... but there was still things that he could not say to her, but when he attempted to, she felt right away that he wanted to spill his guts out and get some things off of his chest. However, there were things that she wanted to admit too, things that she had already told to Sonic, but the Blue Blur hadn't taken them to heart... Would she face the same resentment from Shadow?...

"Hello! $105.17!"repeated the cashier at the counter.

Amy was brought back to Earth before a very angry crowd of once-patient customers waiting in line. Her face turned as red as the dress under her coat, and she nervously got out her wallet from her purse, in turn taking a credit card from the wallet and handing it to the cashier.

"Um... debit?"

Amy had taken twice as long as she had predicted to arrive back home and when she did, she was worn out. The shopping, long lines, and traffic itself were enough to wear on anyone's nerves. And then the food had to be put up, and with the amount of items that she had brought home, that was bound to tire the little hedgehog girl out even more. Shadow insisted on helping her out as much as he could, but Amy just let him figure out the hard way that she had to do the job by herself. Shadow would have told her right then, but he wanted her with a cleared mind so she could think things through with what he had to say. He knew how people could act when they were tired, so he decided to postpone his announcement again. But he figured that more time could be a good thing. He would have more time to prepare himself and lessen his nervousness. And besides_, he _was still exhausted also. The effects of food would always pervade until the victim healed themself by taking a nap, and that's exactly what Shadow did once he found that Amy had left him alone once again.

Shadow opened his eyes, moaning tiredly and yawning a couple of times. Once he stretched and became aware that he was actually still alive, he sat up with surprise after noting the low lighting of the room, the elongated shadows around him, and the darkness that surrounded and closed in on their home just outside of the windows. It was the middle of the night. He had only meant for a light nap so he could hear Amy if she had ever come downstairs from her slumber, but the longer he listened to the absolute quiet, the more he had slipped farther and farther away from this world and into the world of deep sleep. He thought he had missed her on several occasions, mainly because the comforter had mysteriously made its way from his waist to across his shoulder again. The hedgehog then looked around the room at nothing in particular, then focused onto the clock on the cable box.

"8:30," he whispered.

Well, that's not too late, he thought. She was more than likely to still be up and about, so he turned on a movie to simply wait it out. Since he wasn't the type to at least try and get involved in most movies, unless it had "gotten involved with him" as he liked to put it, within five minutes he had become bored. To him, each minute felt dragged out to an hour, and he was starting to wonder if she really had gone to bed for the night. There wasn't anything really wrong with waiting as long as it could take. After all, if he was now just admitting the love he felt towards her after a few weeks, he could surely wait a few more hours. But he just wanted to get it off of his chest before he went mad, like the precedent of when you do something wrong and your conscience kicks in. Sometimes, you can wait forever to tell the truth if it's not something too serious, but all the while you wait, that little voice will kept edging you and pushing you, until eventually you have to tell or you'll feel like the worst thing that God could have ever created. That's how Shadow was feeling at the moment. The explosions and gunshots on television were not taking his mind off of his secret in the least, and he figured that he might as well go back to sleep and let the time pass that way. Just as he laid back down on the pillow and grew warm, sleepy, and comfortable again, he started to close his eyes. But as he enjoyed the few seconds of rest, the hedgehog opened his eyes again and went on the defensive as he was jumped from behind.

"Oh! What the–!"

"Ha, ha! Gotcha, didn't I?" laughed Amy, putting her arms around him.

"Hmph, do you like surprising people?"

"Well, it can be fun from time to time. I wanted to get you when you were most vulnerable."

"You couldn't have come at a better time, because I was about to go to sleep. I thought you had gone, too."

"Not really. Just got caught up in a movie. I say, people could not live without a good movie."

"Heh,_ I_ could..."

"What you're not into a good action movie? Knowing you, I was sure one would cause you to stare at the screen for two hours straight."

"Nah. It's better to live it. Once you've done all that stuff, you become a bit of a realist."

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry about that. I'm sure you've been bored stiff from all this time."

"Hmmm, no... not really... I've had plenty to think about."

"We've_ all_ had, remember?"

Shadow chuckled and nodded his head. After their talk, the two remained quiet for a few minutes, both trying to focus on the television, but focusing was found to be very difficult. Their thoughts were still as strong as ever in their minds, which in turn filled the air of suspense and uncertainty. Although the two were at a loss of words, they were still bonding even more; unwinding, enjoying the quiet, throwing quick, questionable looks back and forth. It was a nice way to spend time with each other, and with their feelings still aroused, they were naturally in a more relaxed mood. Both hedgehogs were at peace, suspended in an unexplainable trance-like world which one usually enters when one is at rest and there is nothing wrong on the earth for the time being. As much as Shadow tried to fight against it, he was going to go to sleep again at this rate, but he was flung back to reality once more when he felt another pain in his back.

"Ouch..."

"Shadow? What's wrong?"

"Ah... nothing much. My back's just sore from leaning on this thing for so long. I guess that's what I get for being lazy these past few weeks," he laughed.

"You're not _lazy_. You're just... incapacitated, a bit."

"Lazy, incapacitated; same thing to me."

"Oh, hush you!" she laughed, putting her hands on his shoulders, "And here. Let me help you out. After all of the adventures I've tagged along on, I know what it's like to be sore."

As soon as she began to massage his shoulders and back, he melted in her hands. He moaned, sighed, and slowly rocked back and forth as her hands worked on his muscles. In the back of his mind he was thinking that this was as close to the blue fields of his visions as he was going to get. Amy turned her head to the side, noticing his lameness and the dreamy, half-sleep look on his face, and she just laughed. She loved how cute people where when they were star-struck, especially him, since it was a bit out of his character.

"What's so funny, huh?... Ahhh–ouch! " She hit a really hard knot in the middle of his back.

"Oh, nothing, nothing! I just thought about something."

"Heh, heh. Shoot."

"You said you waited for me..."

Amy paused and smiled deviously, holding onto him a bit tighter.

"Yeah... Well... There's something that's been on mind all day..." he took one of the hands from his

shoulder and held it firmly, bringing it to his cheek and closing his eyes, "... And it's something that's been in my heart for three weeks now."

Amy backed away from Shadow slightly, looking at him, but didn't worry too much about it. She leaned on his back, and he brought her hand down, kissing it tenderly.

"Amy... I really can't wait anymore... and I don't care what you say, but..."

"Yes?"

"I want you to know..."

He pushed himself up and led her around in front of him, and she sat down on the edge of the couch, her eyes just as big and wondrous as ever. Shadow's heart and intentions were stronger than they were that morning, but still he had not found a way to fight through her eyes' hypnotic hold on a person's mind...

"I-... well, I really..."

This time, however, it affected him a lot more subconsciously than he had realized, and he did not know that he was nearing her...

"I... I–..."

"Yes... Shad... ow?"

The girl was nearing Shadow also, unwillingly under his spell too. Both were drawing from each other. They knew the love that was present in their hearts, but were still unwilling to admit that love which they had figured was much more suited for another, but their hearts knew better than their minds, and were drawing that secretive knowledge from each other. That's why they needed each other...

"I–... I..."

They were so close to each other. They didn't realize it, until Shadow felt her smooth hair brush across his face, and finally for the first time... they kissed. Shadow was reluctant at first and drew away, but he ultimately gave in to his feelings and wrapped his arms around her back. As he fell back onto the pillow, she went with him. He began to run his fingers deliberately through her hair and spines as she did in a similar fashion to his white fur. _This_ is where Shadow wanted to be. _This_ is what he wanted for the rest of his life. He was now in the fields, under the willows, and in the grass with his love. Shadow was again the content, happy, and loving hedgehog he was 50 years ago, and he knew that he was_ finally _at home.

"Whoa..."

"What?"

"That was... unexpected," Shadow chuckled, "What I wanted to say was that I l–"

Amy put a finger to his lips to silence him.

"Shh... I got the entire message. To tell the truth, I had been thinking the same things. I didn't want to admit it, but Sonic may like me... but there's no true love between us. Never will be."

"My love was for another too..."

"Hm... We shouldn't think too much about the past right now."

"Yeah... We'll think about it later."

And the two gladly went back in...

_I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grey_

_The more I get of you_

_Stranger it feels..._

_And now that your rose is in bloom _

_A light hits the gloom on the grave... _

_Now that your rose is in bloom, _

_A light hits the gloom on the grave._


	6. Love's Divine

_Some of you people _actually_ thought the last chapter was the_ ending?_ Ha, ha, think again. We're only _half way done._ I've got the entire thing written and saved neatly onto my computer already. It's just a matter of slowly posting chapters and teasing you all! God, I love surprises. _

It had been much too long of a time since Shadow didn't feel so gloomy and solitary during those long, dragging nights, and once again, his body was coursing with the energy and mixed feelings of unconditional love. Hundreds of wild questions started to fill his head as he thought about the present situation and his and Amy's future. He wondered if their lives would always be like this: very passionate, new, and wakeless. Would he feel the same unique feelings he had felt with her tomorrow? A week from now? Months, years, or even forever? He wondered if heartbreak and human error should ever happen to plague their relationship and they should split, years from now, and he wondered if that ever did happen, would they be willing to try it again, or would they simply become a foregone memory to the other? And the longer he lay there, his heart simply outpouring with happiness and his mind going over the millions of possible events and adventures that were to come of their love, the questions that lingered didn't bother him to any great extent, and they began to disperse, and for one of the few times in his life, his mind was as clear as the sky full of millions of white, minute stars on a warm, summer night. So, he let it take him on a journey.

He remembered one particular time on the ARK, when he was a much younger hedgehog than now. The little hedgehog had had a tiring day, the subject of ongoing experimentation in which a few tests probably would have been considered too harsh for such a young animal of his species, had he not possessed superhuman strength and endurance. Once he was let go, night had fallen and the poor thing was exhausted, even though he didn't want to admit it to anyone. After insisting to go to sleep wasn't enough, Maria decided to tell him a story. She didn't know too many, and the ones she did know he had heard plenty of times before, so she made up a grand tale of bravery, action, and of course, the cliche' happy ending off the top of her head, all the while tucking the little furball in. He had fallen asleep just before the "and they lived happily ever after", but he did remember receiving a small kiss on his forehead. She even sung him a short lullaby, fixing his fur and rubbing his head in such a motherly way that it touched Gerald when he watched her and every time he thought of the beautiful event up until the day he died. Even at the young age that he was, Shadow then knew the true meaning of love in its strongest form, and it was one of the few feelings that the hedgehog was sure to desire and understand for the rest of his days.

Shadow gave a prolonged, heavy sigh, comfortable and drowsy, and the hedgehog soon found out that fighting against the sandman's spell was a futile effort and, in his current mind set, it was a battle not worth fighting for. With the ever-lasting peace, the fanciful, dreamy effects of sleepiness were all the more apparent to him, so he closed his eyes and slowly laid back down on the pillow, letting himself go limp. As he did this, he noticed the certain feeling of weight and pressure on his chest that traveled down with him, making it a little difficult to breathe. He opened an eye and looked down, noticing Amy, who was still asleep from their prior nap together that had come about from simply lazing around and watching TV. It seemed as if she had found a comfortable spot amidst the warmth from his body, the couch and comforter, and his downy chest fur, and she wasn't going to move at all by any means of force. He laughed at the thought and began rubbing her shoulder after noticing the fur was standing up in defense of the cold that was closing in, and she snuggled closer to him. He shook his head playfully and chuckled when she did, kissing her softly on the cheek a few times and moving a few hair strands out of her face. He then slid down farther on the couch, nearly parallel with it, and leaned his head on hers. With a smirk of happiness and a mental vow of eternal love, he closed his eyes once more for the rest of the night.

At an amazing coincidence, both hedgehogs woke up at the exact same time. As Amy began to stir, she unknowingly nudged him in his stomach. It didn't hurt, but it was enough of a disturbance to wake him from a very deep sleep. As she realized that she had spent all night with him, she quickly got up, waking Shadow even more. Before she could get up all the way, Shadow, in his drowsy state, sat up very quickly, nearly bumping heads with her. After another quick eye stare, he broke away by laughing, inducing his love to laugh along with him also. She then quieted him down with a finger to his lips like last time.

"So... do you want anything to eat?"

"Mm-mmm," he shrugged.

"Knowing _you_, I'm sure you're starving."

"Little bit... You can make... whatever... Not in the mood for anything particular... heck, even a bowl of cereal will do..."

"Alright then, Shadow. I'll find something for that bottomless pit of yours," she said, poking him on the stomach.

"Oh! Oh... hey..."

"Heh, heh, don't worry. I'll fix you up something," she said, getting off of the couch and walking into the kitchen.

As she left him, Shadow turned over on his stomach, ignoring his troubled leg, and was immediately stranded in a colorful euphoria of pleasing repose. He was again flung from this dimension as time slowed down considerably to the point where he could clearly see an after image after everything that moved in the slightest, but he wasn't concerned about that. All of his attention was on Amy Rose, the most beautiful girl to grace the earth. It seemed his staring was having consequences, for the longer he continued to look on, the more strength he was robbed of, until his arms gave way and he collapsed on the couch. After a drawn-out moan of contentedness, Amy ceased her cooking and looked down on the couch to see Shadow sprawled out over the arm of the couch. He looked like an even bigger mess than he was already: his fur was out of place, his eyes were half closed, and one eared drooped to one side, and she burst out laughing, dropping the pan from her hands, the loud, hollow clanging waking up her dreaming boyfriend.

Well, this day was going well for both of them. Shadow and Amy were in extremely high spirits for the entire time, and their bliss only heightened when they were near each other. It had taken about an hour for Amy to finish her daily rounds, and while she was working, Shadow would watch her intently as she went about the kitchen and cleaned, a smile on his face, thinking of the fact that Amy was his for eternity. From the way Amy had described her love and feelings about Sonic and his responses back to her, Shadow figured that Sonic would be none too envious of his and Amy's love, but more so thankful for the fact that he was truly a free hedgehog again like before he reached the Little Planet, and sure, Shadow would probably have to suffer a little teasing for a good, long while, but the fact was Sonic was now in even more debt to him. Also, Sonic had not lived through the things Shadow had been forced to live through, and he was younger. Therefore, he was more immature and didn't understand a true, loving relationship with a girl. So, Shadow knew that when Sonic was an adult, still single, and looking for a girl himself, he'd probably be filled up to the brim with jealousy, and then, Shadow would truly have one up on his rival. Everything was going perfect.

The couple didn't spend the entire day in a seemingly all-knowing silence, but they took the time and opportunity to learn more about each other once Amy was done. Their talks ranged greatly over nearly every single subject that comes up worth talking about when you encounter a new girlfriend, or boyfriend in some cases. Amy did a lot of talking for most of the time. Shadow's answers were pretty straightforward and added little information about his overall character that she hadn't picked up on before; however, his constant jokes and one-liners convinced Amy that he had a unforced, natural sense of humor and wanted to know more about the people he really trusted. Overall, the hedgehogs loved to hear the amusing stories about each other and had a very good time, but there was one thing that Shadow was having second thoughts on about keeping secret: his life on the ARK. He never did admit to her that that was what had been bothering him in the past, and he could tell right off the bat that not only did she want to know simply out of curiosity, but she had worried greatly about him in that worrisome state and wanted some power to console him, but she couldn't do that if she didn't know what was hurting him so much. However, he had mostly moved on in the sense that he had finally come to terms with her death and that was the way things were, so there really wasn't a reason to spurt it out. But he had heard from Maria herself that if you were a true companion to your loved one, you would never keep immense secrets...

"Shadow? Shadow. Hello? Earth to Shadow?"

"Huh! Huh, wha-what? What?"

"You just zoned out. I asked if you wanted a bit to drink.. After the work I did, I'm pretty parched myself."

"Huh? Oh! Oh, no thanks."

"Is something wrong?"

Shadow gulped. He didn't want to lie to her anymore. But what was he to say? After all, it was _his_ problem to deal with and he was doing _just fine_ in dealing with it, thank you very much. Well, he thought that if he was doing as good a job as he said he was with dealing with his losses, he wouldn't be thinking about it right now. In fact, he probably would have either forgotten all about it, except on a few special occasions. He knew what the problem was. He needed to vent, and badly. He barely got anywhere when he kept things to himself. He knew that, but he never knew why he was never willing to talk about his innermost feelings, his wildest dreams, and his aspirations with the people he knew. He guessed that the habit of reputation had taken over a large portion of his mind, and whatever people saw him as, that was what he was. Sonic once saw him as something very formidable, only winning one battle in their duels together, and his win was really a draw. His father and Eggman saw him as an all-powerful weapon of mass destruction that they could use to accomplish their own twisted goals, and he obeyed them willingly. And Maria, saw him as a wonderful friend, almost like a brother, and a brother who adored his sister and everything about her to no end was bound to tell her everything. That was his situation now. He loved this person. And she loved him back. They weren't rivals. They weren't pawns in someone's plan. They were lovers...

"Naw, nothing's wrong with me!"

"Well, alright. If you say so, I guess. As for me, I need something cool and carbonated," she got up off of the couch.

Shadow feigned a laugh as he watched a thirsty Amy walk around slowly to the kitchen as if she had just been dumped in the middle of the Sahara. He watched her solemnly as she took a can of soda out of the refrigerator, and turned around.

"It was 50 years ago..."

Amy stopped gulping down her soda and recovered enough from the burning in her throat and chest to say: "What was that?"

"50 years ago, I was living aboard the space station. Life wasn't as good as I'd liked it to have been; Nowhere near... I was constantly subject to these... experiments some whacked-out team of scientists decided to try out on me. They did several things, but I can't seem to recall most. I vaguely remember one in which they put a tube down my throat, and that one I hated to_ death_. There was one I did remember clearly though, in which they placed these cuffs and wires on me and fed me Chaos energy... And I must say... it hurt. Badly. But I always knew that they were doing it for some reason. They had to be. They... they_ looked_ nice enough... and it was the fact that... they always told me good things afterwards and let me play... that I held back my tears and never complained to Gerald. He would be on the same train of thought as they were when they came to a conclusion that pushed them one step further to their goals, which was very often, and it probably would have been useless if I did tell him so I never did. Like I said, I never fully understood why they did those things to me, except to "help people". That was the most I got from them, even Gerald, when I was a kid, and I never did figure out why he waited a long time to tell me the entire story... I guess he had that... parental instinct to protect me and everything."

"Anyways, I had one little hobby, if you could call it that. I was very curious about this place you guys call Earth. Until now, I've never had the pleasure of coming down here and experiencing some of the things that a lot of you take for granted, uh, no offense. My only experience of this place were the stories my father used to tell me, and the things I read up on in books, encyclopedias, and things like that. Heh, when it came to me reading about the continents, habitats, places, animals and things, they could never pull me away. I was mad in a search for knowledge and I tried to gain as much of it as I could, because I was determined to go down there and visit it one day. And I felt the more I knew, the more I'd be prepared, and it'd be all the more better when experiencing these things first hand once I did. But even with all of the studying I did, I still felt ensnared... like a guiltless prisoner... trapped behind those the gloomy, bleak, metal walls while watching over all of the people who could enjoy everything this planet had to offer, and who could live the life and do the things that I was soon beginning to think would always be out of my grasp. I felt like I was doomed forever. During the nights that fact would drive me mad, and sometimes I thought I lost concept of everything. I barely knew myself anymore. I didn't know why I was created, why anyone would want me here, and why I couldn't have the things I felt were most important to me. I must say, it was questions like those that made me think that I was slowly, but surely becoming insane. But even throughout all of that, there's one person who I could really rely on–..."

"Are you referring to this... Maria?"

"Yes. That's who I was talking about awhile ago–" he paused, smiling, "God, she was a such beautiful little girl. And she was so sweet... very kind... very gentle... and very wise beyond her years... She didn't have a mean bone in her body. She was like an angel sent for me... She knew I was troubled a lot... and she always knew what to do or say to put me in the highest of spirits again. She was pretty much the only light in my life that I had, and I felt that there was someone who was watching over me again, and that that someone would do His best to make sure I ended up all right. And I did. For the next few years, life was pretty much the same. It got very routine, and I loved it. Me and Maria spent tons of time together, talking, playing... just making the most of life. And as my dad got closer to completing his project, the fewer times those scientists would call me away, and sometimes I thought they barely cared about me as a person, but more like some dumb, impervious animal without feelings. As I started to get more mature, I decided that I didn't like them as much as I had previously thought and frankly, I didn't care what happened to them. We stayed as far away as possible and minded our own business... Well, anyways, life was nice for the most part, except when Gerald pulled me from one of our little play dates one day. He told me the reasons why I had been created... to "bring hope to humanity" but humanity was not as important as Maria was, and she became an even more significant part of my life when Gerald told me of how far her illness had progressed..."

"Illness?"

"Gerald told me it was NIDS, some neurological condition that had been eating away at her all those years. I never really knew what was wrong with her until that point... Sure, she would tire out very easily sometimes during the times we played, but I–..." he paused to wipe his eyes, his face already wet with tears, "It never really bothered me... and when Gerald told me that... it really hit home. From that moment on, I promised my life to that little girl. I wanted to _always _be there and make her happy... just as she had been there for me during the times when I was down. It took me some time to recover from that talk, and in the meantime I started to devote all of my time and energy to her, but she resented that and wanted me to treat her like the normal little girl I had always been treating her. So after awhile, things resumed as normal... but me and Maria began to notice strange, erratic behaviors slowly come about in Gerald... He never really seemed to be around us anymore... and when he was around, he felt so impatient to get away from us and get back to his research... He wasn't the quiet, humble man I had taken him for, but he had transformed into the complete opposite. He became very nervous... and extremely temperamental, but never around us. It was mostly with his colleagues, and always behind closed doors. But we never strayed far when he had those arguments. We would always listen to his conversations, looking at each other, and looking back at the door... and I noticed something that Maria may or may not have picked up on... He always mentioned the word 'raid'."

Amy looked up at him worriedly, her eyes damp and red, when he said that. She had heard of the ARK raid and the tragedies that resulted from it after they all had come back down to Earth.

"Oh no... Shadow–"

His tone of voice transformed from a calm, steady tone to that of a vengeful growl.

"That government facility came up there... and destroyed the only home I ever had! And then... they had the_ nerve_ to come after me... when I was _not_ the_ real_ problem... So, when we heard the door come open... I took Maria by the hand... and ran. I ran as fast as I could with her in tow... going to the only place I knew I could escape... and not only would I be with my family and away from the perils of my previous life... but finally, I could visit the place I had longed for since the day I laid eyes on it below me... And so we finally got in the room... and I heard a loud bang... It was as if the entire world had been broken and smashed into little pieces... I had never heard the sound before, so naturally... I was frightened beyond reason... And I turned around... and there she was–" He put a hand across his eyes, attempting to stop himself from crying, but he had already lost control over himself, "... She was on the floor... a wound on her back... She was in _so much _pain... and she–... she left me with the words to bring hope to Earth and sent me here... She gave the ultimate sacrifice for me... It was then... that I questioned whether I was really supposed to be happy... and whether I was supposed to live like a normal being... That's why I didn't tell you before... That's why I kept it to-... myself... because you don't know... what it's like... living with the fact that _you_ were the cause of someone's death who did _not_ deserve to die!" he turned away from her.

"Oh my God, Shadow..." Amy went over and embraced him, as he did her, and neither would let go, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Shadow..."

"I want to forgive myself... but I can't..."

"It wasn't your fault, Shadow... It was not your fault."

"God," he sighed, "I feel like I'm carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders... and I don't want to anymore."

"Oh, Shadow..." She parted from him, held his shoulders, and looked him in the eyes.

"I know that Maria's proud of you. And she would not want you to feel this way about something that was not your fault. You were never the cause of what happened to her and you could not help what happened."

Shadow sighed uneasily and hugged her again, silent in all of this. It's exactly what Maria would have done if he had ever mentioned something like this. It was this moment that made him into a true believer again. She was alive. She was _very_ much alive, indeed. And finally, Shadow was free of the doubt that had been plaguing him since the day he arrived, and now, he didn't have to worry about Maria, the ARK, or anything else anymore...

No more...


	7. Waiting For You

_Thanks for the reviews, everyone. I really appreciate each one. I say this now because I never really felt this chapter did anything for anyone, unless you count moving the story along. It never came together, maybe because I never got a solid idea about what I wanted to do. Yeah, we went from really good to alright, in my eyes anyways. Ah well. I'm sure you guys are happy for an update regardless: _

Hearing the story of Shadow's memories and the cause of his pain hit Amy almost as hard as it did Shadow when he turned around to find Maria taking her last few breaths. Out of all of the possible heart-wrenching effects she had imagined and thought up that could have happened upon the hedgehog, she concluded that this was the worst possibility out of them all. As she had explained to Shadow while up on the ARK, there was at least a spark of good in everyone down on the planet, and that spark had the potential to grow into a blaze that could ravage evil and do innumerable amounts of good, and Shadow was a living example of that statement. But as she also noted, all people could fight over trivial things and come to rash conclusions. Unless people were more accepting of the reality of life's twists and would think more of the consequences of their actions instead of automatically _taking_ action upon the wrongdoings of others, the world would be the paradise that Gerald sought out to create in the first place. She began to wonder why. _Why_ couldn't GUN take it more slowly, since apparently they were the ones funding the project in the first place? In fact, if they were funding the project, wouldn't they be well aware of Gerald's intentions to do more good than harm, and watch the project all the way through to its completion, or until there was _real_ proof that the project was a threat to mankind? _Why_ did they commit the atrocities that they did if they _knew_ they were going to cover it up sooner or later? They seemed that they were a pretty much trustworthy association up until the raid, since they wanted to help with something so promising, and the fact that they would kill based on pure speculation from one failure only fueled the fact that everything has a good side and a bad side, and it would only be a matter of time before one of the other sides would surface in everything.

Amy figured that she had a pretty unbiased view of the world. There was some good; there was some bad. Life is full of periods of rain and shine, and that's to be expected of such an imperfect world. But a lot of times, we take the good for granted and count it as a way of life instead of a pure blessing, and we sometimes set ourselves up for disappointment. We never think things will happen to us. We think that those stories that are reported on the 6 o' clock news every night only happen to "other people". We never think that life can or will change. But as Amy thought more into it, the more she became wiser as to some of the ways it worked. The Earth was as equally bad as it was good, and it can be seen all around you. Most times, the evil hides in the shadows of the city as a cat, predatory, hungry, and bloodthirsty, until it sees its opportunity to strike out on its innocent victims, the dim mice who only see life from one angle, a lot of times the simplest angle. Lives are lost, the people hide, desperation comes about. It's all around us. But it simply likes to wait, as it did while hovering over Shadow's shoulder while he spent his days in space... But maybe fate is an even bigger thing than evil. It is said that everything happens for a reason, and it is also said that pain must be suffered in order to have true happiness. When we gain something, we will lose something also, and vise versa. Was Shadow actually _meant_ to lose Maria? Well, he probably would not have found out his true purpose if she had remained alive instead. He would have never been living with Amy. He would have never been able to realize his mistakes and the good things he had all around him all along. And... he would have never admitted his love to her and the things that had been bothering him. Although he had suffered the loss of his friend's life, the positive consequence was his freedom. Shadow was now free.

After Shadow's sadistic tale, Amy decided to leave him alone for awhile. There wasn't much to say between the two after that. Shadow had said most of it, and the most Amy could do was just give him a bit of time to himself. In the few hours he had alone, he continued to have a bit of trouble convincing himself that everything was fine the way it was, though it was easier to deal with than before. He was still very much relieved, but to him, the way he felt was barely describable. He felt like a new person entirely, and when Amy hugged him for those few minutes, he immediately felt an energy flow over his being and surround him. It was then that he felt the presence of his sins and disarray lift from his body and just disperse in midair. As he flashbacked, he was certain that he could feel this unparalleled energy becoming all the more obvious in the room as he continued to talk, as if it knew from a personal view exactly what he was feeling. The mutual understanding he shared with this strange power caused him to smile, and Amy's presence made him as happy and joyous as he was last night, if not more. Nothing at all could ruin these moments, and he counted every second of this day as something to remember forever. He sat up and stole a look over at Amy who had come downstairs for something to drink. He stared at her for a few seconds, coming out of his daydream as he spoke up to her slowly and consciously.

"Um... Amy?"

"Yes, Shadow? What is it?"

"I just wanted to thank you for listening. That-... That made me feel better... heh, heh, inside and out–... in ways I can't explain. Thank you."

"No need for thanks. I was just happy you admitted it."

"I know," he sighed.

Amy put the magazine down, went over and kneeled beside him, rubbing his cheek with her hand.

"Please don't keep things bottled up inside of you for that long again, Shadow. It doesn't do either side any good... I don't like to see you upset."

"Mmm... I know you don't. But it was a... hard thing to admit..."

"I know it was. But at least you got it off of your chest, right?"

"Yes, I guess that really is the important thing here, huh? Thanks, Amy."

She smiled and pecked him quickly on the lips. His head became light and an electric rush went up his spine, and he fell on the arm of the couch, becoming lame, a goofy smile on his face.

"Don't mention it."

"I won't," he coughed out.

Amy smiled at him and brushed a finger along the split in white fur several times, causing the sensitive hedgehog to squirm and laugh. She left to go upstairs once more, leaving him with a kiss, until her love stopped her with a very surprising request.

"Amy? If you wouldn't mind, um... you wanna finish off this movie with me?"

In a matter of seconds, Amy found herself leaning against him, and in turn, Shadow had his head on top of hers, sighing lovingly and continuing to watch the action film in silence with her. As the minutes gradually wore on, Amy then noticed that Shadow actually began to seem remotely interested in what they were watching and was not _only _focusing on spending time with her, a very unfamiliar behavior for the hedgehog. Not one exhale of boredom escaped his mouth, and the only movement he performed was the slow rise and fall pattern of his abdomen as he breathed. She was a bit dumbfounded by this strange act. Maybe it was simply because he was relaxed. After all, he was still immobile for the next three weeks, so he might _as well _have endured watching the drama unfold on the screen for the last twenty minutes of the film, but that still didn't mean he didn't have to silently express his boredom to her. She took a discerning look upwards and sure enough, he was watching it with plenty of focused attention. Either that, or he was again deep in thought, but she doubted that that was the case. He had said himself that he felt much better "inside and out", right? She knew deep down that he was not worried anymore, and neither was she. They had no more reasons to worry anymore.

And it was then that Shadow the Hedgehog was truly starting to come around. For days on end, the two were destined to spend their time together like this: just simply hanging out. Shadow made the most of those quiet times by playing around with Amy during one of the slower scenes on the TV, usually by making some cruel, but hilarious joke about the "actors", or the classic "tap on the shoulder, deny it was you, then blame it on Casper" trick. It wasn't truly annoying to Amy, but she usually pretended it was, first by trying to ignore the persistent hedgehog until she sprung a surprise attack on him with the pillow. He would never fight back, but instead, fully take his punishment with laughter either until she stopped or, if he had really been brave that time and decided to irk her more than once, she would collapse on him, the sheer pressure from the pillow and her full weight suffocating him to death, but his pleas of escape would always fall on deaf ears. Luckily for him, everything was in good fun, or he probably would have to be laid out for _another _six weeks from the way Amy would attack him. She could be ruthless, even in play, but he could take it. In fact, he embraced it, as well as the complementary kiss he would receive for taking his punishment like a good boy.

As the hedgehog continued his transformation into that of an ordinary teenager, he had begun to think of something again that had always on his mind: walking. Shadow was tired of sitting around everyday, because not only was the entire situation extremely degrading to him, and would also give Sonic something fun to poke at for years to come, but he wanted to help out around the house with Amy. She always seemed so tired when she was done cleaning the entire house and cooking for him, and he couldn't do a thing except sit there and watch her. Although they both were accepting of the fact that he was injured and would be off of his feet for still awhile to come (they had no choice but to be) Shadow still found himself feeling slightly guilty over the fact that she was doing all of the work and not him. He really didn't like seeing her that tired during the mornings. It just wasn't her. He knew he probably shouldn't be making such a big deal about it, but the fact was that he needed to get around some. Little did Amy know that that was another thing bothering the hedgehog: the fact that he could not walk, or more importantly, go out and run. Running was practically the hedgehog's very life. Challenges, fights for survival, the wind in his face, especially that beautiful wind... when it picked up and hit him on the face, and played with his fur, and made it feel as though he could fly... he was longing for that sensation again so much that he felt his chest was going to erupt from the constant wishing and imploring his heart was transmitting. Well, he couldn't try it again now. She would make him stay still right on the spot, no matter how fit he was feeling at the moment. But from what he could recall, it had barely been four weeks, just a week over half the time he was recommended to lay still. He could probably use that as an excuse.

_Well, it's always a bit of fun to try anyways_, he thought.

One more attempt wouldn't hurt him, in the metaphorical sense, at least.

So, on one late evening, both of the hedgehogs found themselves so rested and that they had completely lost the ability to pay attention to anything anymore. Once again, as a consequence from enjoying the peace and quiet with her loved one, Amy plunged headfirst into wonderful slumber, and Shadow wasn't too for behind her. He closed his eyes and exhaled, nuzzling softly into her hair. The clean, lavender smell coming from off of her hair was so light and invigorating that he slowly ran his muzzle through the thick, gentle waves of her fur. A lax moan from Shadow hit Amy's ear, slowly waking her up, until some quiet whispers and a gentle rub on her arm sent her back into sleep, and Shadow continued to remain there with his princess, making sure she had fully slipped away and became less aware of things. As she continued to sleep, he pushed himself up, making things easier by folding his half of the comforter back over her shoulder so he wasn't held back as much. He stayed there for a few minutes, looking around at the darkened room, back at Amy, and mostly down at himself. No doubt he looked bad still, and he still felt as bad as he looked from time to time. But as they say, looks can be very deceiving...

Minutes passed like hours to Amy, who was still enjoying probably some of the best rest of her life, next to that with her first time on the couch with Shadow. She was so warm and at ease to the point that she did not dare move at all from her comfortable position from fear of waking up, not that she possessed the strength or conscious mind to do so. However, deep down, an impulsive feeling started to tell the hedgehog that something very important was not right, and as the realization of it continued to gradually come to life in her mind, the more she continued to wake out of her sleep as a bit of a unwanted side-effect. She came to with a light groan of inconvenience, looking ahead at her sullen, obscure surroundings and still unaware of the figure that was lurking around in the room...

She rested her head back against the edge of the armrest, eyelids falling, mind relaxing, and the overall quiet luring her back into sleep. The second before she closed her eyes, it was then that she truly realized something was wrong: It sounded as if Shadow was in pain. She could hear him, groaning and sighing, and his distress became all the more present as she lifted herself up off of the armrest and out of the covers, and sat up. As she was sitting there and listened to him, it sounded more like a nightmare than him being in any real pain, which was a huge relief to her. She yawned and stretched, reaching an arm around as she did this to console him.

"Don't worry, Shadow," she sighed, fumbling her hand behind her, "It's okay. It was just a-... dream?"

She turned her sights towards the back of the couch, only to find a warm pillow in place of where her Shadow was supposed to be. Her gasp of surprise that followed caused the groans of pain to stop, but not the figure's heavy breathing which brought her attention to the middle of the room where she could barely make out the imposing figure. The girl threw a look of confusion the figure's way and turned on the lamp on the nearby coffee table, only to reveal none other than Shadow the Hedgehog. He was simply standing there, fur damped with perspiration, his breathing labored, the bandages from his arms, legs, and waist hanging very loosely and unraveling. He seemed to be bearing a considerable amount of weight on his hurt leg, but the process of getting up and walking about in the first place had zapped him completely of his energy. He continued to stay there, out of breath and out of strength, but he did manage to say,

"Hi."

"Shadow! What are you doing up and around like that! And in the middle of the night! You scared the life outta me!"

He flinched and lowered his ears from her harsh scolding, but he knew very well he deserved whatever she could dish out.

"I'm sorry, Amy. But I did this because of you."

"Because of me?" She got off of the couch and approached him, latching onto his shoulders and looking him over, "Well, why?

"I've been thinking lately... this house is big. Bigger than normal houses, I suppose. Don't you ever want some help around this place?"

"Of course I do, but that's no reason to get up and around while you're still hurt and–"

"Amy, shh. I'm fine," he looked down at himself, "Well... as fine as I'll be in _this_ shape, eh heh, heh... And after all, I betcha you're tired of catering to _me_ day and night."

She lowered her head blushed slightly.

"Not at all."

"Huh, really? Not even in the tiniest bit? Even people that love each other get tired of each other sooner or later," he said, nuzzling his forehead on hers.

"Ha, ha nope. Not with you, Shadow. Never."

He smiled reassuringly.

"... Not even a little–?"

"Shadow!" She playfully hit his arm

"Ow, ow, okay, okay, okay! Just playing. But I still want to help you out around here."

"But Shadow, you can barely walk. I'm amazed that you're even up and about right now."

"I'll find some way to get around better. Hmmm," he sighed in deep thought as he came to a certain realization, "Can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe you can get that– that fox friend of yours to help me. Tails, that's his name."

"Maybe so, but still, you'll wear yourself out."

"Heh, I'm worn out now! Might as well get used to it."

"But Shadow, you're–"

"Shh... no more buts. I wanna help you out a little and you can't stop me from doing that. You deserve some help, even if it _is _from me."

The hedgehogs just chuckled.

"Besides... I'm sick and tired of sitting on that thing," he said, pointing to the couch.

"Well, you're gonna have to get back on it for now. It's past midnight. Time to go to bed."

"Aw..."

He just received another shove and was helped back on the couch, and Amy was surprised at how good he could walk so far. His limp was hidden better than she expected, and he didn't go as slow as she figured, although he was nowhere up to blinding speed either. Needless to say, he had a bit more time to go before he was truly fit, but maybe him moving around would have its good results too.

The couple went to sleep together again in high spirits, awaiting for the morning to arrive once more, and awaiting another chance to see what things a truly loving Shadow could be capable of showing.


	8. Show Me

_Many of you have asked for a chapter_ _detailing Sonic's reaction to finding out about Shadow and Amy's growing relationship. Well, here it is... but I doubt it'll be the thing you were expecting. Don't worry, there's good enough reason for it._

Shadow's eagerness and anxiousness to get started on his new, self-appointed regimen stood out strong, unlike that of the nighttime sky, which slowly turned from its solid black to the soft orange of the early morning as the hedgehog couple continued to sleep. The thought of it all was keeping him so vigilant to the point that his mind barely managed to wander to other things, and he didn't fall into as deep a sleep as he usually did on such relaxing occasions, yet he seemed to be enjoying this odd type of conscious rest. Partly due to adrenaline, Shadow was fully energized only after about five hours worth of sleep, and soon he began waking up at congruent intervals to see if time had passed as fast as he would have liked it to and if Amy had made her way to the kitchen, but half-hours passed like whole ones to the hedgehog, and soon boredom, sleepiness, and even hunger began to come over him. As much as he didn't want to, he settled down with a yawn and a stretch and went to sleep, trying in vain to put the thought of finally walking out of his mind. Luckily for him, he didn't have to sleep for long. The hedgehog napped from eight to eleven, finally being awoken by a subtle stirring on the couch and on his side. A few gentle nudges brought him back to, and he found himself sitting up straight in a heartbeat, and after an initial stretch he found that Amy had finally woken out of her sleep. Her groggy moaning and misplaced hair were indeed signs that she was still tired, but Shadow was easily able to snap her out of her drowsiness. She was still unaware that he was up also, and like the night that they had admitted their feelings to one another, Shadow swiftly put his arms around her, restraining her of any movement.

"Huh! Whose–"

"Hey, just wanted to get you back that night for surprising me."

"Hm? Shadow? Well, jeez. You can't take a joke, can you?" she smiled.

"Nope! Heh, holding a grudge for a few weeks is nothing compared to 50 years."

"Ah. Very good point... Um, if you don't mind me asking... could you let me go now, unless you wanna go without food for the whole day!"

"Oops! Sorry 'bout that," he said, releasing her from his hold.

"Hmph," she said playfully, standing up, fixing her hair and dress, while Shadow just stood watching, once again entranced in her beauty.

She stopped fixing herself and looked down at her star-struck boyfriend, but shook her head and left without saying one word. Naturally, Shadow was very willing to follow her, getting up and doing so for about three steps before Amy turned, suddenly paused and pushed him right back down on the couch. Surprised, the hedgehog scrambled up to a sitting position, rubbing his still painful arm.

"Ouch! Amy, what's the deal?"

"Well, after remembering last night's little adventure, it brought back an old idea to help you get around better."

"Really!" He said, some surprise in his voice. After last night he figured that he would be limping a lot worse for awhile. "Well, what's the idea?"

Amy's eyes widened slightly as a bit of a shock came to her. She wasn't so sure he would like the idea upon hearing it, for the hedgehog was quick to judgement if the first few words that hit his ears didn't satisfy him, regardless of the good outcomes expected of the plan if he were to simply think it out more himself. Because she didn't want to sway him from her idea and have him in even more pain than he should've been for the remainder of his recovery, she said: "You should know! It's your idea!"

"Hmm?"

He hadn't remembered suggesting any ideas during the time they were awake, and he couldn't bring himself back to last night when he _did_ suggest a radical thought to Amy. But he decided to embrace the confusion. It was obviously something smart if Amy had the mind to mention it to him and the fact that he had thought of it himself. And as long as he could walk, that was all that really mattered for the moment.

"So, I'll just go make a quick phone call. Be right back," she said, walking out of the room and running back upstairs, Shadow listening in to her footsteps as they traveled overhead and suddenly ceased altogether.

A loud, metallic whining completely filled the laboratory and easily overrode all nearby audio as Tails continued on with the use of his blowtorch on the internal workings of his bright-blue biplane, just inches away from his goal. The little fox had been working tiredly, pushed and driven on by the ARK incident, but more so inspired by the mode of transportation used to arrive at the near ill-fated space station. His project? He just wanted a stronger plane. Even in its advanced state and the fact that, for awhile, it was receiving a short power boost from a Chaos Emerald (real or not) he still had trouble piloting it, especially in battle with his newly acquired rival, Dr. Eggman. Also, he knew the emeralds would act in very unpredictable and sometime fatal ways, more so when more than one was in the general area. Needless to say, he needed a power source that could rival that of the emeralds themselves, but still be kept in check with little room for human error.

Here enters Sonic. He figured that the cobalt hero could power his plane for him since the two rode it nearly all of the time together, but naturally, Sonic's reluctance to the idea came about when he asked Tails a very obvious, but overlooked question: If he was powering the plane, what was powering him? So Tails had to work on an entirely new system from the original design of stealing his comrade's energy (or rework the whole _plane_, for that matter) and came up with a sort of cycle: Sonic takes energy from the emerald, energy flows through him, through the engine, and goes right back into Sonic, in layman's terms. In theory, Sonic could stay Super for an infinite amount of time as long as he touched the plane, and think how unstoppable those two would be then...

The glowing, orange reflection of light coming off of the popping sparks stopped once more as Tails turned off the blowtorch and lifted the visor off of his face. He stood back from the plane for a few minutes, staring at his current work with eagle-eyed critique and heartfelt admiration. Aside from a little more welding one of the engine's many flowpipes could do with, the now updated Tornado was ready for its test run.

"You done?" asked Sonic who was sitting on a chair in the corner of the room, a little bored and agitated.

"Yep," he exclaimed, slamming shut the protective plate that was previously exposing the engine.

"All we need is a Chaos Emerald and we're all set to go."

"Ooh... well in that case, you'd better ask Red. He'll fight me on the spot."

"Oh yeah... now that you mention it..."

Sonic's next response, more appropriately topic starter, was cut short when he was drawn to the faint sounds of light, ongoing ringing from inside of Tails' house, turning his head left in the indicated direction. Tails was about to ask about the cause of Sonic's pause when he too, heard the sounds. He told Sonic to stay for a few minutes, who only gave a sigh of impatience, and ran inside to answer the phone.

"Hello?" he said, flopping down on the couch.

_Hello, Tails? Yeah, this is Amy. _

"Amy? What's up? Something wrong with Shadow?"

_No, nothing's truly _wrong_, but he _does_ need your help for a few moments. You wouldn't mind coming over right now, would you? _

"Of course not. Me and Sonic'll be over in a flash."

Thank God, thought Amy. That would probably even things out a bit when they visited.

_Alright, then. See you guys in a little bit. _

The dial tone sounded out and Tails put down the receiver, then raced back outside and into his workshop to a waiting Sonic.

"So, what's up?"

"We're taking a little trip, but not to Angel Island. Seems like Shadow needs our help."

"Shadow? Is he alright?"

"Amy said he was, but she still insists that we go over there."

"Well, alright then. What are we waiting for?" said Sonic, who was just happy to be on the move again.

It didn't take long for the duo to make their way out of the jungle and into Station Square, which was lucky for Amy, because Shadow was on the verge to start interrogating her and she really didn't want to him to start off in a bad mood by telling him about a certain visitor. She kept insisting that Shadow himself had gave her the idea, which was better than telling him she forgot only after five minutes, which would_ really _tip him off that she was up to something. So she simply relied on the heroes' speed to soothe Shadow's confusion and impatience, and it happened just in time when the doorbell rang before Shadow could even open his mouth. Sonic entered first, and Shadow was a bit surprised to see him, but not as surprised as when Tails entered into his sight. As much as he wanted to deny it, Shadow actually seemed to be a little upset at Amy herself, but he didn't show it to her, but instead, took out his anger on Tails with an unfriendly glare. Amy reprimanded him with a light hit on the arm, and with a sigh he behaved himself.

"So, what's the problem?" Tails asked.

"Well, he can walk, just not very well. Do you have any way to, uh, help him–"

"Walk better? Of course. It's only a matter of installing a brace and–"

"A brace!" asked Shadow. He could already feel his dignity leaving him at that point.

"Well, yeah, but not in the way that you think. The one I'm talking about is really nothing more than a reinforced knee pad. Don't worry! It's not some evil metal contraption."

"Oh," remarked Shadow, still looking a little weary.

"Wait, you said he was walking already, right?"

Amy nodded.

"Well, in that case, I probably won't have to put it on at all, depending on how he's walking."

"Extremely well, mind you," Shadow blurted out.

Sonic could do nothing but cross his arms, sit on the other couch and suppress his growing laughter, shaking his head at Shadow's nervousness.

"If that were the case, I wouldn't have come over here. Well, come here for a minute and let me examine your leg for a minute. If it's as good as you say, then I won't need to do anything," said the fox, walking over and bending down in front of Shadow's injured leg.

_Oh, boy... he's gonna do something. I just know it! _

"Big boys don't cry, Shadow!" Sonic cheered, while Shadow just gave him a threatening look, holding up his fist.

Tails really didn't hurt the hedgehog to the point of throwing a fit. It was all a matter of seeing how far his leg could actually bend before he experienced some kind of discomfort. The little fox tested this, pushing his leg in a couple of inches at a time towards the couch to check for pain, constantly looking up at the dark hedgehog for reassurance. Every time, he shook his head no, his eyes closed, braced for anything that would come. So Tails continued at his slow pace, until one attempt he decided to push his leg a little farther and faster than normal. At this motion, Shadow gasped and opened his eyes, screaming in pain, and Tails backed off.

"You okay! My gosh, I'm sorry about that!"

Shadow, tensed up and panting, lowered his head and began to moan, and Amy took his hand in hers to try and soothe him. Even Sonic had jumped up and was ready to rush over to console the hedgehog. But their fears were put aside when he stopped shaking. After a suspenseful second of quiet, snickers began to escape Shadow's mouth, and he threw his head back and started laughing.

"Pysche!"

The other two hedgehogs recovered fast, Amy playfully hitting him on the head and laughing along with him, while Sonic just sat back down with a grin on his face, the adrenaline dropping from his instinct to jump up and help his friend. And Tails?

Tails just stood there: shocked, wide-eyed, fur sticking out in all directions. The little was scared out of his mind. Now, Shadow had gotten his revenge.

So Tails just finished off the job in silence, slowly but surely getting enraged by the low snickering coming from the three hedgehogs as he worked. _Don't know what's so funny,_ the fox thought. _I wasn't the only one to fall for it. _He finished up helping out Shadow by sliding on the brace, securing it tightly by running a velcro strap through a loop.

"There. That should help you out a lot. As strong as a cast, but not as obvious as one. Heh, I'm sure you're happy."

"Believe me... I couldn't be _any_ happier," he said, giving the fox an evil grin.

Tails frowned at this, stood up, and walked back over to the couch and sat beside his long time friend. Sonic, still in stitches over Shadow's acting, looked over at his friend who anyone could tell was easily irritated. Not wanting to agitate the little fox even more by bring up the prior happening or making some remark, he changed the topic in his head to small talk.

"So, aside from your leg, you doin' any better, Shadow?"

"Yeah, a lot better. Eh, some pain here and there, but I'm getting there, that's for sure."

Amy then put a warm hand on his shoulder and Shadow did nothing but smile back, and that brought some interesting thoughts to his rival's head. Not wanting to give everything away that he was thinking about, he half closed his eyes and looked around very suspiciously, inquiring the dark hedgehog in the process.

"So, um... how has it been on that couch, Shadow? Not too boring, huh? If we're really as alike as they say we are, then you must've been bored stiff, right?"

Shadow looked back at Sonic with a bit of a surprised look, but he was immediately caught on to Sonic's plan, and to put it lightly he was ticked at Sonic's pressure.

"Mmm... no, not really... You find ways to cope with it, actually."

"Like?"

Shadow just looked at him and groaned. He really wasn't sure about admitting his relationship to him, so he looked at Amy for reassurance. She just shrugged at him, not worried about whether the two knew now or later. In fact, he himself didn't know why he was extremely bent on keeping it secret himself. Sonic was always going to joke about until it got tiring, which would probably be a few years into marriage for as resilient as he could be. So he turned back towards him, his expression lightening up.

"I know you're gonna laugh... so just bare with me, alright?"

"Uh-huh..."

"As much as I hate to admit that you were right, Sonic, you were..."

"Right? Right about what?" said Tails, obviously curious as to what Shadow had to say.

"Me and Ames... we love each other," the hedgehog said, looking down and smiling, thinking back to that magical night.

"What the–?" said Tails loudly, but luckily Sonic's next statement overrode his.

"Ha! I knew it! So, when'd you find this out, Romeo?"

"Even _more_ unfortunately, right after _you_ called."

"Wow, so I'm the official matchmaker for the couple of the century, huh? Heh, heh. Funny how jokes can be taken so seriously, right!"

The two just looked over at him, who was desperately trying to control the mesmerizing urge to bust out laughing and make tons of marital jokes. But he was nice about it. Thanks to Shadow, he was now free from the girl's constant dogging, just like the good old days. From now on, whenever he turned the corner and saw her, he would receive a friendly 'hi', which is all he really wanted out of her. Also, it was obvious the pair was already head over heels for one another. Being that they were only so for a few weeks, he didn't want to come off as too harsh about the oddity of them getting together. So, he would be kind... for _now..._

It wasn't long before Tails and Sonic had to go. Tails was getting fidgety about getting back to his plane and the excitement of testing it out, and so was Sonic. Shadow and Amy knew he couldn't stay still for long, and frankly, they were happy he wanted to get back on the road. Shadow wanted to spend time alone with his love, and now that he was able to walk, he could do her routine with her, learn new things from her, and be one heartbeat closer to her. It was amazing how fast the things he only fantasized about were coming true, and as a result, he made it one of the best days of his life. The hedgehog would follow Amy around the house, helping her with as much as he could and seeing how she lived and picking up on the things of normal housekeeping, such as ironing, cleaning, and his favorite activity so far: cooking. To him, it was simply astounding that the wonderful meals she had been preparing for him could come from some of the simplest well known ingredients to human kind, and that they could be made so quickly. He was so intent on learning her lifestyle that he was _sure_ he remembered every step and every preparation and in the right order, and that was only for a three course breakfast! So with confidence up, he told Amy that he would like a try at scrambling an egg, so she let him go at it. To summarize how the entire event went, the hedgehog needed _serious_ help at cracking the eggs without making a mess of everything! But he didn't mind the embarrassment, or the egg he had to clean off of his hands and face, seeing as how it _was_ his first attempt. More time with her, he thought. It took several more examples and demonstrations for Shadow to finally get it down pat, but he didn't cook them for fear of what he would do to the stove or more importantly, the house. But as he watched her, he began to get a little hungry, and the nearby pieces of toast and sausage were looking _so_ lonely... He got in one piece of toast though, denying to her the obvious that the bread was stuffed in his mouth, but Amy kept vigilant watch of him and soon told him to come back into her line of sight. All in all, it was a time of good laughs for the two hedgehogs, and Shadow was truly sure that these kinds times would last throughout forever.


	9. Future Love Paradise

The daily life of Shadow and Amy had easily proved to remain the same for the last few weeks of his recovery: wonderful. He was continuing to learn the ways of being settled and needless to say, it wasn't difficult for him to fully adjust. Each minute he spent bonding with Amy slowly, but surely lifted ounce after ounce of the prior angst the hedgehog was used to dealing with, and it healed his worn and torn heart. Within a matter of a week or so, Shadow had completely morphed into a different person from what people were used to seeing or hearing about: He was bit of Sonic and himself mixed. He had a lot of the rival's humor, and was an all around happy-go-lucky, devil-may-care individual, but he still had that handsome style and devilish, egotistical flair about himself; that edge that only Shadow had going for him, and it was in the form a constant, knowledgeable aura around his new personality to show that not all of the hedgehog had changed. Amy loved him and his playful, goofy antics, and so did Shadow, as he was also finding out that the even the most simple things in life, like making a joke or just letting yourself go when having fun with someone close, could be great, memorable fun. But the hedgehog's mentality wasn't the only thing that was healing.

Coupled with his growing desire to be with Amy, the blazing passion in their hearts, her encouragement, and the exercise he endured, Shadow's strength and tolerance to his pain nearly doubled everyday. Even with the apparent damage to his broken leg, Shadow found himself able to walk much faster than what he thought he was capable of, and could even bound a few steps and tackle the stairs considering he really wanted to. The soreness all over the rest of his body was also starting to decrease. However, he only really felt it when he exerted his body to the limit and then sat down for a short break. Luckily for him he didn't have to suffer with the pain, as Amy would always be there to give him the best massages of his life. Sometimes, he would become so relaxed to the point that he wished he could stay in that state forever. But before he completely lost his train of thought or went to sleep, a loving gesture or an offer of assistance would snap the hedgehog back to reality, and once again, he would be off around the house where he felt he was needed. The only times he would actually be at rest would be during the evenings, where they would usually get warm and cozy and spend their time talking or watching movies, just like they had been doing since that special night.

Even though Shadow was still healing, there was one thing that continued to remain strong in his mind: Running. The thought would really never leave his mind, although it would certainly bother him more on some days than others. He had already been outside several times a week, just sitting in the front yard, watching the cars and butterflies pass by, listening around to the birds, the crickets, the airplanes overhead, and just enjoying the overall peace of the suburban area. But as much as the hedgehog liked the serenity himself, he also enjoyed action, and he would sometimes throw envious glances at the passing vehicles on the street, not minding whether they threw suggestive looks back or not. He was longing so much to be able to keep up with those passengers, then outdistance them, and of course, feel the wind beating against his face and blowing back his fur. The whole thing made him even more impatient and anxious, and Amy hadn't been unaware of his predicament for all of this time.

While walking downstairs with a full load of laundry in a basket one day, she spotted Shadow over at a window, who was seemingly staring with interest at the rivulets of rainwater striking and pouring down the glass. The hedgehog received a startling wake up call when a warm hand was lightly placed on his shoulder, and he turned to see Amy by his side, and a clothesbasket by hers.

"Never knew rain could be that interesting to _you_, and_ that's_ saying a lot."

"Aw, naw," he said, lowering his head and chuckling, "I was just looking outside and thinking. No big deal, really."

"_Thinking?_ 'Bout what?"

"Running. I just miss it sometimes, you know?" he said, turning back around solemnly to stare at the distorted vision of the damp backyard

"It won't be long before you're out there and setting fire to the asphalt. You know that."

"Yeah, but you know I'm impatient."

"Heh, heh yeah. Like a little kid being driven to a candy shop," she said playfully, ruffling his ears.

"Hey-hey, hey!"

"Heh, come on. The only way to make the wait go faster is to take your mind off of it."

" I know, I know, but... I've been thinking about it for so long that it doesn't seem possible right now..."

"Heh heh, whoever folds the most clothes gets to choose a movie tonight, and I've got a sweet romance story that's gonna be just so–"

"What were we talking about!" exclaimed Shadow, grabbing onto the basket and hauling it in the air, which caused Amy to bust out laughing.

He may have still had _a few _troubles on his mind, but at least he was_ a lot_ easier to figure out now.

Day after day, night after night, time continued to pass at the hedgehogs' household as normal, and Shadow continued waiting patiently. He continued waiting, until he found out one morning that he simply couldn't wait anymore. His lowered tolerance to the slow sense of time woke him up early one morning in a light sweat, and he could feel that he would not be able to get back to sleep anytime soon. So he did the only thing he would do at such an hour with Amy not present: Go outside and enjoy his surroundings. He slowly made his way off of the couch, turned the right corner, and went towards the door, but not before giving a wide-eyed glance up the stairs as if he was sending notice of his abrupt leaving to his love in person. After walking out of the door, he took a casual stroll through the yard, stopping at the edge of the grass and the sidewalk. As he lifted his head, he took note at how absolutely awe-inspiring the early morning really was. It appeared as if dusk was rolling in; the sky was a vast gradation of black, navy blue and royal blue, dotted endlessly with pearl white stars, with the moon going back into hiding in the lightening sky to his right somewhere in the southeast. He looked down at the prism-like, crystal clear beads of dew on the silhouetted carpet of grass, smiled, and took a deep breath of the thick, humid air, enjoying how cool it was on his throat.

"It's absolutely beautiful out here during this time of day," he remarked to himself, yawning afterwards, "Too bad–... too bad it happens so early in the morning... Hmm."

He took a look back at the house, which was as mute and still as the shadows around him, and started up the sidewalk. He really didn't (or rather couldn't) think about where he was headed off to, as his mind was still subconsciously fixed on getting back to sleep. Since he had been put in a daydreaming state, everything from there on out was just second nature. Very little pain was coming from his leg, yet he was walking fast; faster than normal, and the speed of things would only escalate to a faster walk, a power walk, a few bounds that turned into a sprint, and then it finally happened; the thing he was waiting for for so long was now finally happening. Shadow was running, and he finally came to the realization of his actions when he was forced to make a right turn at the upcoming corner. He then proceeded to look around: the ground beneath his feet and the land around him was simply a quickly passing blur, completely opposite to the sky, which was slowly adrift overhead. The hedgehog let out a yell of happiness in the air, unwrapping whatever bandaging was left on his body, then gradually sped up, heading around the surrounding neighborhoods. Although he was beginning to hurt from the levels of exercise that he still was not used to, he felt that this moment was more than worth it. No longer was he a confined prisoner, but like his blue counterpart, he was as free as the wind. And for the first time in his life, he was now able to run not for risk of being killed or captured for unspeakable horror, but now he could run for the sheer enjoyment of running.

The hedgehog ran for hours on end, undeterred by his need to keep going and the excitement of the entire moment. However he didn't go too far. He just continued making his way around the surrounding neighborhoods, sometimes slowing down just look at the quaint sights. The warm houses, the damp yards, the gated boundaries; everything was the way he had imagined it. He really liked to look at the families, however, who were now just waking up and getting started on yet another monotonous day, how busy they seemed to be, and how loving they were towards one another, especially their children who were to set off for the stationary buses down on the street corner (assuming the family had children.) It was the picture of him and Amy in the future.

_And to think I was about to destroy all of this_, he mused to himself, hopping a fence and continuing on his self-appointed tour.

Amy was still transfixed in deep sleep, and even with the afternoon hours close to arriving, she was undiscerning of that fact for two reasons. For one she was exhausted, and her tiredness had, to her unknowing, slowly accumulated up in her due to Shadow's restlessness for the past few days. Those factors led to another simple conclusion: If she was this tired, Shadow had to be good for nothing himself and thus, she was not worried in the least about sleeping in. After coming upon this fact in her mind she smiled, turned over, and obscured herself by pulling the thick, soft comforter back over her shoulder, wanting to enjoy the last few seconds of rest she really had left. As she settled down, she was aware of the significantly loud, high-pitched, whining creak of the door swaying open, although one ear did reflexively twitch to the sound. To her, everything was normal, seeing as the intruder's travel to the side of her bed was dead silent. Then she received the eerie feeling of having company when the side of the bed shifted downwards. This woke her up, as well as the light touch that ran throughout the parts in her hair in a slow, monotonous fashion, which would continue for a few seconds until another moan escaped her mouth and she opened her eyes. She was faced with bright sunlight from the window directly in front of her and she shielded her eyes.

"Shadow?" she whispered, while the hedgehog once again snapped himself out of a loving gaze.

"Hm? Oh, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to wake you up. I–"

"No, no, it's okay. It's–" she glanced at the alarm clock on her dresser, "11:35. That's kind of late, anyways."

"Alright then," he said, laying on his side and turning towards her.

Amy was quick to note that Shadow was missing his bandages, and noticed other subtle hints as to his prior whereabouts. Water was starting to condense on and mat his fur, and he was emitting the light smell of freshly watered grass.

"And where have you been, mister?"

"Ah, I went out for a quick walk. Woke up early. I think about... 5... or somewhere around there."

"Well, where'd you go?"

"Ah–... just around the neighborhoods."

"Neighbor_hoods_? If I recall, the suburbs on the south side of the city are pretty large... collectively at least."

Shadow just smiled at her, closing his eyes and giving a triumphant, "I know."

As Amy took in what he said, her expression transformed from one of confusion to one of great happiness. Shadow was finally what he had aspired to be in his life: Happy and without worry or doubt, and his fulfillment in turn made her the happiest girl in the world. She didn't bother expressing that happiness through language, but rather jumped her love and gave him a bear hug around his waist. Shadow just laughed aloud and in his excited state, tried wrestling her off, but she proved to be a true fight. He twisted and pulled and squirmed to no avail, and got up on his knees only once before she immediately pinned him back down by laying atop him. After the fast impact on the stiff mattress and pillow, which brought back recent pains, he vowed he would never again even _bother_ trying to get out of her grasp.

Both hedgehogs settled down, their soft laughter continuing until they had run out of the little breath they had. Shadow took a deep sigh and looked up into Amy's eyes; those jade, spellbinding, precious jewels that always froze the steadfast hedgehog right in his tracks. With the sunlight coming through in the window and shining off of one side of her body, her form was even more beautiful than he had ever imagined and seen before. It put him at ease, and he felt like his fixated stare was causing him to sink right through the mattress, and that he'd on the floor. It was only until he felt Amy beginning to play with an odd part in his white fur a few seconds later that he blinked tiredly and slowly woke up.

"...So... how do you wanna celebrate this moment, Hero?" asked Amy, still playing with his fur.

"Well, uh..." He hadn't really thought about _celebrating_ this event. Well, he hadn't had anything to eat for the entire day... No, he felt that'd be too selfish of him. Besides, now that she brought up the subject of celebrating he was impatient, and he didn't want to have to wait on food or anything else. He wanted to do something with her and now, "Hm, do you like to go for walks?"

That took Amy off guard for a moment.

"Uh... Well, I really don't walk for fun or anything. I usually do that, heh just to get someplace if the traffic's backed up. That's what you get for living so close to the city."

"Well," Shadow chuckled, "Let me change all that. Let's spend the day together out and about. Just you and me."

Amy could not resist an offer like that for anything in the world, and within several minutes the hedgehog couple was off, strolling along casually, Shadow leading her along on the sun-dotted sidewalk, and both just enjoying the simplicity of the humble sights around them. Amy was reveling in the true beauty that had been surrounding her all along: The large and beautiful homes, clean streets, children and pets playing, and the swaying, yellow-green forests of the background, caused by the sunlight raining down through the leaves of the numerable trees that were growing overhead. As her eyes scanned the passive environment, Shadow would turn to her, always getting the feeling that his heart would explode of joy from the happiness he was bringing her. She seemed as awe-struck as him, as if she had never seen these things of true contentedness in her life, and to be able to personally give her the chance to see these things was indescribable. He had only meant for a short walk (a conclusion he came to after the heat was beginning to pick up) but like everything else, he wanted it to last as long as possible. After running through the neighborhoods, he had nearly remembered where each street led to, and decided to take her along the beaten path. But every glance to Amy's smiling face was chipping away at any incentive to not get lost, and soon he was going wherever instinct led him. This is what they did for about an hour, soon taking a short break afterwards on some family's lawn (They wouldn't mind much, seeing as how the family was still away at work and school, and they were indebted to Shadow for saving their lives). Also, a sprinkler was on nearby, so the hedgehogs got to enjoy the cooling mist and light sprays of water from a distance. Once cooled down and rested, they were off again, but Amy wanted to see more. The city wasn't _too _far away, somewhere around a half hour walk from where they were now, and neither of them had really gone there to ever let loose and have fun. Shadow, however, wasn't too sure about the city. His existence was still classified as over and done with among the citizens, and he wasn't sure the staring eyes and still crowds would be a good thing towards their outing. But he remembered one thing: It was always better to take a chance than to skip an otherwise good opportunity. Besides, since none of them really knew what Station Square concealed within, it would be even more fun. So he went along with everything without further hesitation.

They decided to travel a bit faster this time, even running along the path a couple of times due to Shadow's rambunctiousness, and made it inside the city, this time with Amy holding the leash. Since she visited the city before for shopping and going out to restaurants, she knew of things to watch out for and the common places of interest. Unlike most visitors, Shadow didn't show awe at the concrete towers that surrounded him at every turn, but rather took joy at observing the business of the people around him, a few of the places of recreation that would occasionally come along their way, as well as the ice cream stands. He couldn't get enough of the stuff, especially anything with a fruit flavor in it. Amy had to quickly pay the surprised and dumbfounded cart tender before Shadow ate up every pound of his money-maker.

With the afternoon hours now in effect, Shadow and Amy took things much more slower. Even with the constant breezes prevalent throughout the city, the sun overhead and the warm concrete created a somewhat uncomfortable heat, so they would occasionally retreat on a park bench or spend some time in one of the local parks, making full use of whatever shade the trees had to offer. And due to Shadow's newly acquired taste, he took care of their thirst and exhaustion very easily with, of course, ice cream. When they were on the move again, they'd take quick strolls on the sidewalk, mostly talking with each other than taking note of their hurried surroundings. That, and it was too hot for anything else. On one specific break, the two had become much more tired than usual, in a physical sense. They decided to return to one park in particular, one that was considered by Station Square to be a most do for couples or anyone needing a break. The entire area was a little more than a square mile, dotted with neatly trimmed bushes and shrubs, well placed, colorful flower beds, hilly areas, and even a creek that ran from the northwestern end of the park, the hedgehogs' right, to a pond centered right below them from their current perch on a steep hill. Also in the park were numerous pebble-lined paths to walk around on, but the two would rather have stayed on the top of the park and overlook everything, especially with the heat still present. They remained there in the shade to chat about their surroundings, occasionally heading downhill to another friendly cart tender, and amazingly time flew. In what seemed like no more than an hour, they found the sun already setting behind one of the black towers of the far off cityscape, the rigid silhouette of Station Square blending in perfectly with the red-orange and yellow sky.

"This place..." remarked Shadow quietly.

"Hm? What'd you say, Shadow?"

"This place," he repeated more loudly.

"What about it?"

"I don't know, but... this looks a bit like some other place that I've seen before... 'cept it's dusk instead of night."

"Really? Where?"

Shadow didn't answer, but squinted his eyes at the horizon, trying to remember where exactly he had seen this mysterious place before. As he went back in his mind, it suddenly hit him. The sun and the moon... the skyscrapers and the mountains... the pond below them with the willow stationed beside it... He knew the place very well.

"Um... I don't know, really. But I sure do recognize it... and it's someplace beautiful... Maybe it'll come to me later," he lied, smiling.

However, Amy questioned him no further and proceeded with looking at the sunset. The spell of silence overcame the environment and their minds, and the hedgehogs proceeded to watch their surroundings, the sun setting ever so slowly, and with the sun's slow actions, nervousness slowly came about in Shadow. He didn't like it when their talks ended with such an abruptness, as it caused him to wonder whether Amy had been onto his true motives or not. With a quick glance over at her, it didn't _appear _that she had really taken what he said to heart, but how was_ he_ to know that? If she was calm, he wanted to relieve his tension some way... so he smiled and slipped away.

Amy still had no idea of where he had gone, or better yet, she had no idea that he had even left in the first place. Her gaze was still onto the sunset, which was now in the seemingly eternal phase that occurred between dusk and nighttime. When a cooling breeze brushed across her fur and skin, she came to the conclusion that it was finally becoming cooler, and she turned to where Shadow was to voice that fact, but found him gone.

"Huh! What the-... Where'd he go?"

She was scared out of her mind at his disappearance and jumped up to her feet, glancing over her surroundings left and right as to his whereabouts.

"Shadow! Where are you!"

Although thoughts of the worst began running about in her mind, she was able to make herself calm down and think the problem out to a degree. He couldn't have gone downhill, since she would have seen him. There was nothing to her right, except for the black metallic gate surrounding the park. On the other side of the gate was the street, and she couldn't see any motive he could've had to simply leave her and go out into the city without telling. That could only mean one thing: he was playing with her mind. Over on her left were some bushes, the only plausible place he could hide decently. She crossed her arms and began walking towards the bushes in a militant fashion, causing Shadow to snicker. He retreated farther back inside, causing some rustle noises.

"Alright, Mister. For scaring me out of my mind–," she then heard him laugh and smiled herself, "You have until I count to three to come out. One. T–"

He jumped out of the bushes and over her head, landing several feet behind her, and she turned around and took off for him. Shadow recovered from his laughter well enough to dodge a swipe from her arm, and literally ran circles around her until he took off towards the hill. He had forgotten how steep it really was and that it led into the pond, coming to a complete halt and backing up several feet from the drop. When he recovered from the near shock of falling, he turned to Amy to say that he had given up, only to be pounced by the girl and fall backwards off of the decline. Being that they were both hedgehogs, a species that curled up in a ball, the fall wasn't as painful as it was enjoyable. Amy hugged Shadow around the waist tighter, and he did the same as they continued their tumble downwards. Shadow looked up and saw the pond coming up quite fast, as well as its rocky coast. He took the opportunity of their increasing speed and broke out of the ball before he was to go down on his back, landing clumsily on his legs. Before he tripped up, he jumped off of the hill and took Amy into the pond right with him.

"Ahh!" the couple gasped, sitting up immediately out of the water, eyes wide and mouths open and panting for air.

A few seconds of panic brought them to the realization that the pond was no more than three inches deep. They looked towards each other, then at the top of a hill where a grinning man and woman had watched the entire thing. The sight of the drenched animals staring up at them in the most pathetic way caused them start laughing, and although it was embarrassing, Shadow and Amy had to admit... it _wa_s funny. The four had a good laugh together, until the humans decided to leave them alone, giving a quick wave before walking on. Shadow sighed and turned back to Amy, brushing the wet hair from out of her face before helping her up to her feet.

"Sorry about that," said Amy, tugging at her now wet and sticky dress.

"Don't be! Heh heh, I would have gotten me back for just disappearing out of the blue. Besides," he paused, looking back up from where they had came, "That was fun."

"Yeah, it was... except for the cold wake up call at the end."

Shadow just laughed and shook his head at her, thinking in the back of his mind that that was the best part of the whole thing. Once their conversation ended and they found themselves alone again, Shadow smiled and put his arm around Amy's shoulder. She then leaned her head against him, closing her eyes as the two started for home.


	10. Love Is Powerful

The return home was far different from the journey from it. Both Shadow and Amy were completely exhausted and weren't in the mood for talking as much, although the contented smiles on their faces did seem to express their feelings about the day quite well. Upon entering the house and turning on the lights, both headed to their respective places without saying a word: Amy upstairs and Shadow back down in the den. Before the thought of settling down for the night even crossed his mind, Shadow snatched up a clean dishtowel from off the kitchen counter and tried to dry his fur off, but he wasn't able to do much except cause his fur to stick out in all directions. After that, he put the towel back, retreated to the couch, sat down and picked up the remote, not even bothering to wrap his cold body in the blanket beside him. After turning on the television, he simply threw the remote down, his mind too focused on the day's events to even channel surf. He thought back to what he said to Amy about the vaguely familiar place. Maybe it was a coincidental matter that he had picked up on during his last visit to Station Square when he was getting chased by the police and happened to pass by the park; an insignificant deja vu moment. But he was too strange a character himself to believe in things like silly coincidences. After all, strange things had started to happen to him when he woke up in the house six weeks ago; things that opened him up to the better nature of life in such an unforgiving world. They probably could have come about from his pleading for such an idyllic lifestyle, but he thought if that were the case, he would have had his way 50 years earlier. Then he began to wonder even more about whether those events could have possibly been linked to a supernatural force. He had heard the stories of higher beings watching over you, and sometimes having to interfere indirectly to make things turn out all right...

_Maybe that's the case,_ he thought to himself, smiling. _It sure is a lot more satisfying to think that the unnatural is the real cause of everything. _

His absentminded thoughts were soon branching off into daydreaming, and once he woke himself up, he knew he was tired. After hopping under the covers and resting his head down on the armrest, he found going to sleep a bit difficult, probably because it was so cold, but he wasn't one to complain about such things. More time under the covers and he wouldn't even notice it all. So, he stayed up, not bothering to even try and think about the random flashes occurring on the screen. With a sigh or two, he soon found himself nodding off to sleep faster than he had expected. The clock on the cable box read nine on the dot. After his experience here, however, he learned that when your mind was telling you to go to sleep, regardless of time, it was always a good idea to listen to it. So he turned towards the inside of the couch and pulled the covers back over his shoulder, unable to close his eyes after feeling something tap him on the shoulder. He turned around and came to attention when he found Amy by his side, dried off and dressed in her pink robe.

"Some–... something wrong, Amy?" he yawned.

"Yeah... It's so cold down here... Do you want to come upstairs?"

"Well, I–" He took a far-off look deep into her eyes, mildly surprised by her random offer, then he glanced down at himself. It seemed as if his fur did not want to dry off anytime soon, so he gave a short and sweet, "Sure."

He slid off of the couch and proceeded to follow her around the corner and up the stairs, holding on tightly to the banister as he traveled up the dark corridor. As he went along with her, he began to wonder why she simply didn't turn the heat on for him, but he got his answer once he hit the second floor and entered into her room. The sudden temperature change from freezing cold to warm felt good, and the low-key lighted atmosphere put him at ease. He could fall out right now on the floor and wouldn't care one bit. While reveling in the passive atmosphere, he looked up to see Amy quietly make her way in front of the mirror, stationed on a large dresser, and began to brush her hair.

_What a heavenly sight... _

He then walked up behind her (not so much concerned with a sneak attack _this time_) put his arms around her waist, placed his head on his shoulder and closed his eyes, rocking slightly and ears twitching to the mellow brushing noise as she continued doing her hair.

"So where are you going at _this_ time of night, young lady?" he joked.

"Heh heh, the new hangout on 5th called My Bed."

"I've heard of that one. Hmph, lucky for you that place admits all ages."

The hedgehog smirked, opening an eye and looking at their reflection in the mirror. Upon a few seconds' glance, Shadow couldn't help but love what he saw: Just the two of them being together like that. It somehow filled him with an obscure happiness. He didn't want to let go of her right then, because it felt like everything would remain perfect right where they were. Amy took a look over at Shadow, who had just closed his eyes and sighed. She fully understood what he was feeling right now also. Everything was always perfect when they were near each other...

"Shadow?..." He only answered her with a moan, "Hey, Shadow... Ah– wake up!" she laughed, tapping him on the head with her brush a couple of times, "Save the dreaming for bed, okay?"

"Sorry 'bout that," he said, releasing her from his hold.

Once free, the smiling girl walked over to her bed without another word. Shadow could now feel his heart skipping beats as she laid herself down under the covers, and swore that it had stopped altogether when she told him that he could lay down also. He stood rigid for a second but complied hesitantly, very nervous and anxious, as he had never had the experience of sharing a bed with anyone; the few naps they had on the couch were exceptions. However, as he laid himself down he had to admit that it was much more comfortable than the solid couch he had become accustomed to. All prior fears vanished as he relaxed and rested his head on the pillow, running his fingers lazily through his matted and tangled white fur.

"I see _you're_ relaxed," Amy said, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes while she watched television.

"Very," he laughed, "I know _you_ get a good sleep every night."

From that, all conversation ceased as the two continued to enjoy yet another one of their peaceful moments. Aside from the lowly tuned television, all went silent, Amy doing a mixture of reading and watching what was going on, while Shadow seemingly had his mind focused on the situation unfolding on screen. However, his thoughts couldn't be any farther from that. After all of this time, there was still one more thing on his mind; something that everyone on Earth would sooner or later admit to another. He felt that, as her love, he was obligated to tell her this little secret, even though she knew of it very well already. Although she knew what he was about to tell her, he felt that sometimes it was good to admit it in person every now and then, and the way he was feeling it was one of those times. Yet, as time passed, his mind would roam in and out between daydreaming about what he was to say and watching the long movie, and waiting for it to be over was challenging. He drifted off into a light nap several times, waking up within a few minutes time, and at the rate he was slipping away, he knew he'd probably just tell her in the morning. He pulled the covers back over himself, preparing for a much needed rest, until he was once again barred from doing so by Amy.

"Good idea," she whispered.

Shadow wasn't too far asleep to hear her, and he turned on his side to question what she said.

"Hmm? What'd you say?"

"Oh. Nothing much. Just saying I was going to sleep myself," she slipped under the covers and reached for the switch on a lamp, "Good night, Shadow–"

She was stopped from turning off the light by a firm grip on her arm. She turned her sight towards Shadow, whose emotionless expression immediately brightened upon sight of her face.

"Um... Amy?"

"Yes?"

"There's one more thing I've kept from you for the longest; something I should have really admitted a long time ago..."

As he let go of her arm, she quickly turned to face him with worry on her face, concerned about whatever it was he had to tell her was as devastating as his admittance of his past life up in space.

"Oh, no Shadow! You have _another_ secret? Is it something that–"

"No, Amy. No... It's nothing like that, but... it's still something I should have told you..."

Neither one of them said a word to each other as Shadow lowered his head and took her hand into his once more.

"Amy?"

"Yes, Shadow?"

He then looked into her eyes, his own as big as ever, smiled to her, and for the first time ever since he had laid eyes on his dear Amy Rose, he said,

"I... I love you... I've loved you ever since I saw you, and–" he then noticed she hadn't shown much change, swallowed hard, and continued on to say, "I had... I had to say that; I did... because... _you_ are everything... that I've ever wanted... and... and whenever I'm around you... I–... I finally know I'm at home."

"You are everything... I've ever wanted to, Shadow," she admitted as she put her free hand on the side of his face, stroking his orange fur.

The sensation of her touch against his face was mesmerizing. He closed his eyes while leaning over closer to her, meeting her right in the middle for a kiss, which surprised him into pulling away. But as he put his hand on her waist and she pulled him back in, the hedgehog questioned her no further, letting his heart take over in the matter. Once the couple pulled away from their passionate embrace, they quickly went to sleep without a word, still in each other's arms. However this time, Shadow's dreams were interrupted once more...

_Shadow... _

"What?... Maria?"

_Yes, Shadow. It is me. I want to thank you full heartedly, Shadow. _

"What for?"

_You have now fulfilled your promise to me and found your purpose: To make the people of Earth happy. _

"I still continued to believe that I had done that last time I talked to you... What did I do right this time?"

_Remember, Shadow. Your promise to me was to make everyone on the planet Earth happy. You forgot two very important people in the process..._

"I'm afraid I still don't understand..."

_The two remaining people that were left on Earth for you to fulfill your promise to were your dear Amy Rose, and even more importantly... yourself, Shadow. You have just told your love that she was everything you had ever wanted in your life. Now, you are truly happy and your accomplishment has put an undying gratitude and happiness in _my_ heart. Thank you, Shadow. _

"You are _more_ than welcome, Maria."

_And so I bid you farewell, Shadow the Hedgehog. _

It was then that Maria left Shadow's side, never again to disturb the hedgehog until she felt that he needed her once more in his life.And when Shadow did not feel at all too sad at Maria's departure, he finally knew that everything was to be all right from that moment on. His promise was finally fulfilled and everyone was happy, including Maria herself. What more could he possibly want?

And thus we leave Shadow the Hedgehog and Amy Rose, two lovers bound by passion and need forever and all eternity.

* * *

_And well... that's the end to this purposefully short story. I thank all of my regular readers and reviewers_ _for their support with and love of this story. However, a thank you is not all you will get. Head over to my profile for a bit of good news. But until later, see you all._


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